AFC South games aren’t pretty. Thursday night games are ugly. The result of both on one night with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts: an ugly win for the hometown Texans.
In a game with drama from beginning to end, the Texans kept viewers stuck to their television sets until the final moments — a heave to the sideline, marking the end of regulation and, subsequently, a brawl on a gridiron.
The divisional tilt was a battle of polar opposite offenses. On one end, the Texans moved the ball on big plays. On the other, the Colts couldn’t find those big plays, instead opting to kick it back to the 1960s by running down Houston’s throats.
Indianapolis’ run-heavy offense worked. The Texans had no answers for Jonathan Williams, who filled in for starter Marlon Mack. Endlessly, Williams ran down the throats of a defense donning all steel blue. The journeyman finished with 104 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.
With Williams leading the way, the Colts won the time of possession battle (33:17 to 26:43). However, when push came to shove, Jacoby Brissett and Co. weren’t able to match Deshaun Watson’s explosiveness paired with his wideouts.
Whereas the Colts bludgeoned their way to accomplish their goal of controlling the tempo, they could not contain a healthy Texans offense that benefited from the return of wideout Will Fuller, who hauled in seven receptions for 140 yards.
Fuller bullied rookie cornerback Marvell Tell throughout the Texans’ win, making a number of big gains, including two for over 40 yards. On the other side, DeAndre Hopkins made light work of veteran Pierre Desir. “Nuk” handed the ball off twice to his mom — his signature touchdown celebration — and finished with six receptions for 94 yards as well as the two scores.
Ultimately, the catalyst for victory for the Texans was big plays. The Colts controlled the game with their rush attack; however, Brissett averaged just 5.2 yards per attempt to Watson’s 9.9.
Indianapolis’ struggles to create big plays stemmed from Houston’s coverage on famed Texans killer T.Y. Hilton. Hilton finished the night with three receptions and 18 yards on six targets, his worst game against the Texans.
By the time the Colts figured to pass the ball, the Texans were keyed in. Brissett, on Indianapolis’ last offensive play, found nothing on fourth-and-7, scrambled and fell short of the line to gain. Houston’s much-maligned coverage unit won the most important play of the night.
There was nothing pretty from the Texans’ win. The Colts bullied the Houston front seven; Watson had some miscues; the crowd, at times, was out of it.
But the Texans finished with a win, which is all that matters.
Summary
While the Colts dominated the time of possession battle, the Texans were the ones to find productivity out of their offense. Houston, with big plays by way of Watson, Hopkins and Fuller, attacked the Colts defense when they needed to do the most.
Turning point
On fourth-and-7 with 3:00 left, OLB Brennan Scarlett stopped Brissett a yard short of the line to gain. The Texans got the ball back and never relinquished it.
Unique stat
Colts: 9-15 on third down. The Colts gashed the Texans on third down, regularly finding open targets midfield or rushing for a sufficient gain.
Texans: 9.6 yards per play. Though winning by just three, the Texans more than doubled Indianapolis’ yards per play (4.7), proving the win came at the hands of big gains.
Scoring summary
Indianapolis Colts — 0,10,7,0 — 17
Houston Texans — 0,10,3,7 — 20
Second quarter
HTX — Fairbairn 35 kick, 13:46
IND — Brissett 5 yard run, 4:33
HTX — Hopkins 35 yard pass from Watson, 2:00
IND — Vinatieri 36 kick, 0:02
Third quarter
IND — Williams 13 yard run, 5:44
HTX — Fairbairn 36 kick, 2:47
Fourth quarter
HTX — Hopkins 30 yard pass from Watson, 12:41
injury report
Colts
- None
Texans
- ILB Dylan Cole – calf
- DL Carlos Watkins – hamstring
up next
The Colts will host the 5-5 Tennessee Titans on Dec. 1.
The Texans will host the 9-1 New England Patriots on Dec. 1 for a Sunday night affair at NRG Stadium.