The Indianapolis Colts returned home this Sunday for a divisional matchup with the Houston Texans, their first test against the reigning AFC South champions this season. The home team fell short in the 20-16 loss, with the Colts suffering their second straight loss, having yet to record a win since the bye week.
After the game, Colts head coach Shane Steichen discussed the loss with reporters.
“Obviously very frustrating anytime you lose to a division opponent, especially at home,” Steichen said. “We’ve got to get back on track this week against Jacksonville… take ownership and everything, myself, everybody included. It’s not about one person, we’ve got to get it right.”
The Indianapolis offensive struggles in the first quarter against Houston were similar to the struggles in the fourth quarter in Kansas City. The first two Colts drives ended without a first down, and included only one total Jonathon Taylor rushing attempt. The other first quarter drive, which included a first down picked up by Taylor, lasted just five plays before a punt.
The slumping Colts offense was met with the defense that allows the fewest yards per game in the NFL. Houston certainly held its ground for much of this game, not allowing the Colts to score until almost halfway through the second quarter.
The Indianapolis receivers were consistently blanketed, and Daniel Jones was frequently under fire from threatening pass rushers such as Sheldon Rankins, who recorded a sack, and Will Anderson Jr.
Jones completed 14 of 27 passes for 201 and a pair of touchdowns, with Alec Pierce hauling in four catches for 78 yards and the first of those receiving scores. Jonathan Taylor did not reach the end zone himself, but carried the ball 21 times for 85 yards.
The Indianapolis offense benefited from a Cam Bynum interception in the second quarter and from the 85 yards in penalties called on the Texans. Both of the home team’s touchdowns stemmed from either a pass interference call downfield or a turnover. While those plays assisted the Colts in the short term, it’s concerning that they were reliant on those turnovers and penalty yards to stay afloat in a home game. The offense has not been nearly as productive as it was early in the season.
After the game, Steichen said his team needed to be more efficient on first and second down.
“We’ve got to get back on track there for sure, look at that from a schematic standpoint, where we’re putting guys and how we’re doing things to help our guys out,” Steichen said.
The turnover and penalty yards allowed the Colts to remain in contention for a win in conjunction with Houston’s inability to sustain offensive consistency in their own right. CJ Stroud had missed three games with a concussion prior to returning to play in Indianapolis.
Stroud completed 22 of 35 pass attempts for 276 yards and an interception. Nico Collins was his primary target, pulling down five receptions for 98 yards while Woody Marks led the way on the ground with 19 carries for 64 yards.
The Texans offense struggled to achieve prolonged success. Houston settled for two field goals inside the 30-yard line and saw other drives foiled by penalties or sacks. The Indianapolis pass rush found success throughout the afternoon, totaling two sacks and four tackles for a loss.
Despite their frequent ineffectiveness and a turnover on downs in the final five minutes, the Texans offense generated just enough points to survive. The Colts embarked on a potential game-winning drive following a fourth-down stop in the red zone, but three consecutive incompletions in Texans territory led to a turnover on downs of their own and effectively ended the game.
Notably, Michael Badgley missed an extra point in the first half, which mattered in the fourth quarter with the Colts reaching field-goal range in the final minutes while down by four points. Also in the first half, the Colts also failed to convert on fourth-and-one from the Texans’ 9-yard line. The hypothetical four points left on the board in those moments would have been enough to even the score, and success on either one of those plays would have been enough to allow Indianapolis to tie or take the lead with a field goal late in the game.
Newly added cornerback Sauce Gardner exited in the first quarter with what is reported to be a calf injury, mixing poorly with the continued absence of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. The Colts are depleted defensively and slumping offensively, creating a two-game losing streak and a tie at the top of the AFC South with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Indianapolis Colts will challenge the Jaguars in Duval County next Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS. The Houston Texans are next in action against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Kansas City on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.
With a challenging remaining schedule that includes three more pivotal divisional matchups, the Colts must prevent this rough stretch from persisting in order to remain atop the AFC South and in the AFC playoff picture altogether. It will likely require a restoration of defensive health and improvements in offensive efficacy in order to do so.
