Tag: Houston Texans

5 takeaways from the Texans’ monumental victory over Colts

The Colts could have walked away with a huge advantage in the playoff hunt. Instead, the Texans have the upper hand.

The Indianapolis Colts left the AFC South playoff hunt on a cliffhanger. They couldn’t get a win over the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football in Week 12. The Texans won, 20-17.

Had the Colts pulled off a win, they would have taken the lead in the AFC South with a head-to-head advantage over Houston. Now, the teams have split their matchups, and will have to defer to divisional records in the event they finish with the same record. Essentially, the Texans have taken a narrow lead for the AFC South’s playoff bid. But they’ve hardly secured a spot on the field on wild-card Sunday.

Here are five more thoughts from the Texans’ win over the Colts.

1. Stop it. That fourth-down call was the right one.

When the Colts asked Jacoby Brissett to convert a fourth-and-7 in the fourth quarter, the Indy quarterback was averaging 5.2 yards per passing attempt and 5 yards per rush. And yet Colts coach Frank Reich wasn’t foolish when he decided to go for it.

Indy was on the 47-yard line and was methodically (and perhaps inefficiently) moving the ball down the field. Because of that plodding approach on offense they were probably going to need all three of the minutes left on the clock, if they were going to score a touchdown. And they really needed a touchdown. The timing for a field goal probably wouldn’t favor the Colts — it would likely put the ball back in Watson’s hands.

So the Colts were going to need to retain the ball, and not let their defense attempt to cover the Texans’ receivers, who had been owning the Colts’ man coverage all night. They tried to control the game on their own terms — and they failed. But that didn’t mean they were wrong for trying.

2. The officials missed another one.

They missed a clear and obvious fumble in the closing moments of the game. And then for inexplicable reasons, they elected not to review it.

But with a minute and a half left in the game, the Colts could have absolutely changed the outcome of the game if this call had been called properly. This was an atrocious error. The officials have been so bad this year that I can’t even get myself worked up anymore.

This was the explanation from the NFL’s officiating account:

3. Can the Texans just be good already?

It feels like Houston pulls away in the division almost every year, only to disappoint in the postseason. They do it with such regularity that no one takes them seriously when they look like an explosive and impressive team (like they did on Thursday night).

Houston could be on their way to winning the division for the fourth time in five years. And yet they’re 1-3 in the playoffs over the last four years.

Please, let this be the first time they make a legitimate playoff run, if only because Watson deserves more respect as one of the NFL’s best.

If the Texans want to show they’re no longer a postseason joke, they can begin to make make a case with a win over the Patriots in Week 13. O’Brien is 0-5 against his former boss, Bill Belichick.

4. DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller are the perfect tandem for Deshaun Watson. They have the potential to be the best WR pair in the NFL.

Watson, Hopkins and Fuller could be the reason why the Texans finally get over their hump as the overlooked team with a good record. We’ve known for some time that Watson is special. We’ve known for some time that DeAndre Hopkins is one of the best receivers in the NFL. But Fuller genuinely changes the offensive dynamic. Watson averages 62.5 more passing yards per game and 1.1 more passing touchdowns when Fuller plays, per NFL Research.

With Fuller healthy, those three showed the Colts, the 11th-ranked passing defense heading into Week 12, that the Texans passing offense can be simply unstoppable.

Marvel at Watson and Fuller:

And you think that throw was special? Watson and Fuller made the deep-ball connection routine. Again, marvel at Watson and Fuller:

It’s just preposterous.

If the Fuller, Hopkins and Watson can do this every week, they’ll be unstoppable. With Watson whipping the ball downfield with ideal ball placement, Hopkins and Fuller look like the best receivers in football. On Thursday, Hopkins had six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Fuller had seven catches for 140 yards.

5. Jacoby Brissett is a competent quarterback in totally opposite ways to Watson.

I’m going to cut Brissett a break for his performance. He wasn’t confident with his footwork in his return from an MCL injury. It appeared as if the Colts rushed him back. Because his legs weren’t working right, his passes weren’t going where he wanted them to. And even when it became clear Brissett wouldn’t be the passing threat he’d been for most of the season, he worked away with a quiet competence completing 16 of his 25 passes for 129 yards. There were a few costly drops (Looking at you, Nyheim Hines and T.Y. Hilton.) And while the Colts’ playoff hopes took a major hit on Thursday, they should feel good about their future and their signal-caller, who has been a delightful surprise in the absence of Andrew Luck.

Brissett couldn’t complete the fourth-and-7, as mentioned. He came up short in one of the most influential games of the season. But his injury cost them crucial wins — that’s out of his control. Indy was prepared to lose one quarterback (Luck) but couldn’t handle the loss of their second (Brissett). That’s fair.

Their 6-5 record isn’t bad. And maybe they can muster some late-season magic as Brissett gets healthier. If the Texans lose to New England — which is distinctly possible — and the Colts beat the Titans next week, then they’re basically neck-and-neck again.

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Studs and duds from Colts’ 20-17 loss to Texans

Who stood out in Week 12?

The Indianapolis Colts (6-5) fell short on Thursday night losing to the Houston Texans (7-4) at NRG Stadium by a score of 20-17.

It was an ugly battle throughout, and there wasn’t much to be excited about from the Colts’ point of view, especially when it comes to the offensive side of the ball.

While the defense only gave up 20 points, they did allow some uncharacteristically long plays to the Texans. Some Colts were solid while others had a poor performance.

Here are the studs and duds from the divisional loss in Week 12:

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STUD: CB Kenny Moore

Yes, Moore was beaten by Texans wide receiver Will Fuller on a 51-yard bomb in the fourth quarter. But outside of that, the third-year cornerback continued his strong play.

Moore added another interception to his totals on the season—his second—and made an impact at the line of scrimmage. He continued to be used as a nickel blitzer as well. The Colts secondary struggled mightily in this game and while Moore did have a big play allowed, he also made an impact elsewhere.

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Texans top Colts 20-17, regain control of AFC South

The Houston Texans won an AFC South slugfest with the Indianapolis Colts 20-17 to regain first place in the division.

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.

NFL fans ripped refs over what looked like a fumble by Deshaun Watson in final minutes

Not even a review of this one?

Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans held on to beat the rival Indianapolis Colts, 20-17, at home Thursday night.

But there was some controversy in the final minutes as it felt like refs somehow didn’t even review what looked like a clear fumble by Watson on a run with 1:48 left.

It looked like the Colts recovered the ball and should have taken over with a chance to at least tie the game with a field goal. There was even a time out called after the play by Houston, which should have given the review officials a second to at least take a look at the play.

But for some reason nobody made a big deal of the fumble and the Texans kept the ball and ran out the clock.

Colts head coach Frank Reich, however, said after the game that the refs told him it was going to be reviewed so apparently somebody in New York didn’t think it was a fumble since nothing was done about it?

It all seems very questionable because this sure looked like a fumble:

NFL refs have been awful this year and this play only adds to their awfulness.

NFL fans couldn’t believe it:

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Twitter explodes over lack of review on Colts’ forced fumble

Twitter had a field day after a fumble by Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson didn’t get reviewed to see whether the Indianapolis Colts recovered.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-5) dropped a crucial divisional game against the Houston Texans (7-4) on Thursday night, and the game wasn’t without its controversy.

On the final drive of the game, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson took an option to the right. Colts linebacker Darius Leonard knocked the ball free and appeared to have recovered the fumble.

However, the play was ruled a recovery by the Texans, and because it was within two minutes, only the booth could review the play. The league inexplicably didn’t review the play despite the fact that there was a clear fumble.

As expected, Twitter was baffled about another ridiculous officiating decision.

Colts lose to Texans, 20-17: Instant analysis

Analysis from the Colts’ loss on Thursday night football.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-5) were defeated 20-17 by the Houston Texans (7-4) on Thursday night at NRG Stadium.

The game was over when…

…The Colts couldn’t convert a fourth-down attempt with 2:49 left. The Texans then ran the clock out.

Game Balls

  • CB Kenny Moore: He gave up a big play to Will Fuller, but he also had an interception and a big pressure on a blitz. He also made some plays near the line of scrimmage.
  • RB Jonathan Williams: It wasn’t always pretty, but Williams churned out a solid outing taking 26 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Key Stats

  • The Colts finished with just 129 passing yards.
  • The Colts allowed Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins to combine for 13 receptions for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

Quick Hits

  • The Colts are now 3-1 against AFC South opponents.
  • The Colts are now in second place behind the Texans in the AFC South.
  • The Colts uncharacteristically allowed big plays throughout the game, especially to DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller.
  • RB Nyheim Hines was efficient on his carries taking nine for 51 yards and an average of 5.1 per tote.
  • Colts WRs combined for four receptions on nine targets for 30 yards.
  • LB Darius Leonard appeared to force a fumble on the final drive but the booth didn’t review the play.
  • This is Jacoby Brissett’s fourth game without throwing a touchdown pass.

Injuries

  • WR Parris Campbell (hand), RB Marlon Mack (hand), CB Shakial Taylor (ankle), CB Rock Ya-Sin (ankle) and S Khari Willis (concussion) were all inactive due to injuries.

Up Next: The Colts return home to host the Tennesse Titans (5-5) at Lucas Oil Stadium

WATCH: DeAndre Hopkins gives the Texans the lead over the Colts

Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught a 30-yard touchdown pass to give the home side the leave over the Indianapolis Colts.

Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins is a certain target if a quarterback needs to cap off a big scoring drive.

Deshaun Watson heaved a 30-yard touchdown for Hopkins early in the fourth quarter to give the Texans a 20-17 lead over the Indianapolis Colts Thursday night at NRG Stadium.

Hopkins caught a touchdown pass earlier in the game. The touchdown connection makes it the 14th straight game for the two-time All-Pro that he has produced at least five receptions, which is the second-longest active streak in the NFL behind the New Orleans Saints’ Michael Thomas. Needless to say the streak is the longest in club history.

The Colts left DeAndre Hopkins completely uncovered, and NFL fans ripped Indy

It’s always worth trying to cover DeAndre Hopkins. The Colts didn’t even bother.

DeAndre Hopkins is probably the hardest man in the NFL to cover. The Indianapolis Colts didn’t even bother.

During Thursday Night Football in Week 12 at NRG Stadium, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson must have been shocked at how open Hopkins was during the second quarterback on a second-and-12. Hopkins ran a post route, and seemingly recognizing that the Colts had blown their coverage, the star receiver ran directly toward the end zone. That’s when Watson saw the streaking Hopkins, and finally targeted him.

Hopkins ultimately had to come back to the ball on an under-thrown ball from Watson, but the quarterback and receiver linked up for a 35-yard touchdown.

NFL fans were not kind to the Colts secondary. (Note to Colts: You might want to try covering Hopkins.)

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Leonard Fournette ready to roll after encouraging chat with father and Hall-of-Famer Marcus Allen

Leonard Fournette talks about reaching out to a few encouraging people in the process of going through a rough patch in his career.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled offensively as of late and most would say it’s been because they’ve gotten away from running back Leonard Fournette. In their last two games, they’ve only given him 19 rushing attempts for 63 rushing yards, which clearly isn’t the recipe for success.

Needless to say, Fournette’s lack of touches hasn’t just been frustrating for the fanbase but him as well, however, the third-year tailback told the media he’s now refueled after speaking with the coaches, his father and Hall-of-Fame tailback Marcus Allen, who he’s known since high school.

Nothing like receiving advice from a top-15 rushing leader who has seen it all, right?

There were rumblings from the local media that Fournette left Sunday’s game  extremely frustrated, and quite frankly, it’s hard to blame him. After how their battle with the Houston Texans ended Week 9, most believed offensive coordinator John DeFilippo would get back to utilizing Fournette, who was the AFC’s top rusher not that long ago. However, that wasn’t the case against the Colts and the results may be proof of what the issue is.

Both DeFilippo and Marrone took full responsibility for the Jags’ game-planning as of late and it seems things may be hashed out now. With the Jags looking desperately for a playoff push, fans should look for their approach to change and expect Fournette to receive 20 carries or more Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

Texans ILB Dylan Cole questionable to return versus Colts

Houston Texans inside linebacker Dylan Cole is questionable to return against the Indianapolis Colts with a calf injury.

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The Houston Texans special teams may have to finish out their Week 12 bout with the Indianapolis Colts without their special teams captain.

With 1:49 to go until halftime, after the Texans took the lead with quarterback Deshaun Watson throwing a 35-yard touchdown to receiver DeAndre Hopkins to take a 10-7 lead, inside linebacker Dylan Cole was injured on the ensuing kickoff.

The 2017 undrafted free agent from Missouri State is questionable to return with a calf injury.

Cole had played all 10 games to this point, and was a contributor on defense with nine tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup.