Instant Reaction Week 8: Texans survive despite late turnover against Colts

It was another close contest for the Houston Texans but they held on to beat the Indianapolis Colts by a field goal. The 23-20 win improved them to 6-2 on the year and more importantly, dropped the Colts to 4-4.

That gives them a two-game lead over Indianapolis — plus the tiebreaker since they defeated them in Week 1.

This one started slow, with a field goal each on the opening drive. There were three straight punts before the fireworks started, with Anthony Richardson kicking that off.

Thanks to Alec Pierce running into Jalen Pitre, Josh Downs found himself wide-open. Richardson got just enough on the pass and Downs did the rest, running untouched for a 69-yard touchdown.

Houston responded by slowing things down. They went 70 yards on 10 plays before Joe Mixon ran in his fifth touchdown of the season. Mixon eluded one defender before barreling through another as he scored on a 14-yard run.

The back and forth continued as each team struggled to protect its quarterback. C.J. Stroud and Richardson were each sacked twice in the first half but took several more hits as they delivered the ball. Eventually, that led to a huge mistake from Richardson.

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Indianapolis inexplicably dialed up a pass with fewer than 30 seconds remaining in the first half. Richardson, who nearly threw a pick-six to Kamari Lassiter on the previous snap, was intercepted by Jalen Pitre. His first pick of the year gave his team the ball at the seven-yard line. That set up a touchdown pass to Tank Dell, making it 17-10 at the half in favor of the home team.

Houston added a couple more field goals to take a 23-13 lead in the fourth quarter. Downs showed up again for the Colts, catching a 25-yarder that set them up at the one-yard line. Jonathan Taylor made it a three-point game when he punched it in for a score.

A late turnover on a bad exchange between Stroud and Mixon could have been devastating but the defense rose to the occasion and forced a punt.

Houston also learned from their mistake in Week 7. That week, they allowed the Packers to keep a timeout when they passed the ball late in the game. This week, they milked the clock on their final drive and forced Indy to use all their timeouts.

That resulted in the clock being a huge factor for the Colts, who couldn't get into range for the game-tying attempt. They were practically gifted a free play at the end of the final quarter but a Hail Mary from Richardson never happened, thanks to Danielle Hunter recording his second sack of the quarter.

Injury scare for the Texans

Stop me if you've heard this before — the Texans had multiple players go down with an injury.

First, it was Jarrett Patterson, who suffered a concussion. He replaced Kenyon Green, who was struggling mightily, but was sidelined after one drive.

They also lost Stefon Diggs, who suffered a knee injury. His was a non-contact injury, which is always concerning.

Up next:

It's a quick turnaround for the Texans after this one. They head to East Rutherford, NJ to take on Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on Thursday Night. The Halloween showdown is the first of three straight prime-time games for Houston as they'll be on Sunday Night Football in Week 10 against Detroit and Monday Night Football against Dallas in Week 11.