Colts Fend Off Texans Rally, Win 33-28

The Indianapolis Colts had a chance to run out the clock with just over two minutes left to play, all they needed was a first down.

Then J.J. Watt blew up the third down play and the Colts were forced to punt. The Houston Texans took over at their own nine-yard line and opened the final drive with a 12-yard completion.

Then Bjoern Werner made the biggest play of his young career. In typical Robert Mathis game-closer style, Werner cut in as Ryan Fitzpatrick moved up in the pocket and knocked the ball free. D’Qwell Jackson recovered the fumble and the Colts lined up in victory formation to record the 33-28 win.

The game opened with a blowout as the Colts scored 24 points in the first quarter. The Texans managed just two yards of offense and Andrew Luck put on a passing clinic with 208 first quarter yards.

Luck finished the game completing 25-of-44 passes for 370 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He also had a technical fumble on a bad snap that might have been on center Jonotthan Harrison. It was a costly play with Watt returning the fumble for a touchdown.

The Texans managed to claw back into the game by halftime and prevented the Colts from gaining anything more than a marginal lead in the second half.

T.Y. Hilton continued to be a nightmare matchup for the Texans secondary. Hilton had nine receptions (off nine targets) for 223 yards and a touchdown.

Ahmad Bradshaw continues to be red zone machine. He had 11 carries for just 34 yards, but also three receptions for 25 yards and touchdown. He showed off an uncanny ability to turn losses into big gains Thursday night.

Defensively, the Colts struggled to lock down Andre Johnson and Arian Foster but overall were able to keep the Texans off the field. Houston was just 1-for-11 on third down conversions and the Colts sacked Fitzpatrick five times, and hit him eight more.

Pat McAfee continued his exemplary performance on special teams. Following the Colts first score of the game, McAfee took an onside kick down the middle of the field and recovered it himself. He also pinned the Texans inside their 10-yard line on their final drive with a precision pooch punt.

The Colts sit at 4-2 and are in lone possession of first place in the AFC South.

They’ll have extra time to rest before they host the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday.