Texans Get First Ever Sweep of Colts
By Josh McSwain
The Houston Texans got their first win in Indianapolis in team history last season and followed it up with a second straight win in Lucas Oil Stadium to get their first ever sweep of Indianapolis:
Ugly but effective has been an apt way to describe how the Texans have looked most of this season. That was a perfect way to describe the Texans victory in the dome of Indianapolis as the defense stood tall and the running game did its thing en route to a 22-17 victory.
Lamar Miller led the way, scoring the first touchdown of the game and had his second 100 yard game against the Colts this season, after being held to just 31 rushing yards against the Colts last season when he was with the Dolphins.
The Colts got on the board first with a field goal from Adam Vinateri on their first drive. After a three and out by the Texans, Andrew Luck threw the first of his two interceptions; this one to Quintin Demps. It set up a field goal from Nick Novak to get the Texans on the board, knotting the game at three.
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Miller broke through to give the Texans a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter, then Vinateri had a rare miss on the following drive that allowed the Texans to get a field goal in the closing seconds to take a 13-3 lead into the break.
Second Half
On the first drive of the second half Luck was picked by Andre Hal. This set up another field goal to make it 16-3. On the next drive, Luck looked like he had thrown his third pick when Robert Nelson got called for pass interference, which negated it. From the Texans 18, Luck found Frank Gore for a touchdown pass to get the Colts within a score.
After a defensive stop, all momentum was with the Colts. They were in the red zone when Jadeveon Clowney made the play of the game. He stripped the ball from Luck, which was recovered by Benardrick McKinney. The Texans turned that into yet another field goal to take a 19-10 lead.
On the next drive, T.Y. Hilton showed why he is one of the best receivers in the league with two catches for 49 yards, including a 35 yard touchdown reception. This got the Colts within two at 19-17.
The Texans had a chance to put it away, and drove down into the red zone one more time. But the drive bogged down and the Texans kicked a short field goal to go up 22-17. It was in the hands of the defense.
The Colts got to midfield, but on fourth down a poorly executed screen pass was incomplete. This allowed the Texans to pull out the win.
Looking Ahead
The Texans are now tied with the Titans atop the AFC South while the Colts are a game back. The Texans hold the tiebreaker by virtue of beating Tennessee in week four. However, the week 17 game between the clubs in Nashville could end up deciding the division. Next for the Texans is a home game against the hapless Jaguars. Meanwhile, the Titans go to Kansas City to take on the red hot Chiefs.