The Houston Texans defense may not have had the big stats in the form of takeaways, but holding the Indianapolis Colts down in the club’s 20-17 win at NRG Stadium Thursday night was a great way to start the final six games of the regular season.
There are plenty of gold stars to hand out and some red marks as well. Here are the grades from the victory that improved Houston’s record to 7-4 on the year.
defensive line
Houston had J.J. Watt the first time they played the Colts in Week 7 and were able to corral the Indianapolis run game, but failed to touch quarterback Jacoby Brissett as he was dropped once. How would they ever generate pressure on Brissett without Watt?
The Texans defensive line was still unable to get to Brissett with just one sack to show for it, but they did produce four quarterback hits. Defensive ends Carlos Watkins and Brandon Dunn had four tackles and three tackles respectively, and defensive tackle D.J. Reader had two tackles and a quarterback hit.
Indianapolis mustered 175 rushing yards, and Marlon Mack’s fill-in, Jonathan Williams, produced 26 carries for 104 yards. Regardless, the Texans’ defensive line held forth at the end of the game to preserve the Houston victory.