Colts hold off Texans for fourth consecutive win
Breaking down the Indianapolis Colts' 33-28 victory over the Houston Texans:
Colts hold on, Texans don't: With the Texans on the verge of taking the lead after trailing 24-0 in the first quarter, receiver Andre Johnson fumbled in Colts territory with safety Mike Adams recovering. On Houston's next possession, Colts' linebacker Bjoern Werner caused quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to fumble and the Colts recovered to seal the victory.
The perfect first quarter: The Colts were as good as good gets in the opening 15 minutes; heck, they were that good in the first five minutes. Andrew Luck threw a pair of touchdown passes, to Ahmad Bradshaw (his fifth of the season) and Coby Fleener for a 24-0 start. The dominance was in every facet of the game, most notably in yards from scrimmage. The Colts had 218 yards to Houston's 2. Luck completed 12-of-18 for 208 yards with a near-perfect passer rating of 142.8. The 24 points in the first quarter were the most for the franchise since 1958 (27 points). Meanwhile, Houston quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 0-of-4 and sacked twice.
T.Y. Hilton's big start: The Colts' dynamic receiver danced through the Texans' secondary to the tune of five first-quarter catches for 147 yards. He had ridiculous hauls of 40 (over his head) and 49 yards (diving) in the team's first nine plays, the latter nearly going for a touchdown before being clipped on the heel of the Texans' defensive back as Hilton tumbled to the ground. The third-year receiver finished the first half with 156 yards, one shy of his regular-season career-high. Hilton finished with 223 yards and a touchdown on nine catches.
Watt's up: Houston defensive lineman J.J. Watt lived up to his billing as the league's best defensive player. He returned a fumble 45 yards early in the fourth quarter — his third touchdown of the season — to bring the Texans within 33-28. He finished with seven tackles, including three tackles for loss with two sacks, hit Luck four other times and deflected three passes. In the fourth quarter he dropped Bradshaw for a loss on second down, then batted down a pass to give Houston one final possession.
The onside kick: Pat McAfee made another bid for special teams Player of the Week by delivering his third successful onside kick of the season. This one was a roller up the middle as Houston fullback Jay Prosch retreated. Just past the requisite 10-yard advance, McAfee fell on the ball, and the offense soon thereafter turned the play into points. Trent Richardson went the final 5 yards for a 10-0 lead. The Colts now have executed three onside kicks this season; the rest of the NFL has yet to get even one.
Illegal formation: After being stuffed on their first three series, the Texans were forced into a field-goal try of 32 yards. But the Colts were deemed to have lined up wrong, were flagged and that gave the hosts new life. Houston converted, too, with Andre Johnson hauling in a Fitzpatrick pass in the right corner of the end zone for a 24-7 score. Luck's next pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted, and Houston quickly turned that into points, too. That shifted the momentum.
Curt Cavin writes for The Indianapolis Star, a Gannett affiliate.