The Indianapolis Colts traveled to Houston, Tex., on Thursday, Nov. 21 to face the Texans in a rematch of Week 7 in Indianapolis in which the Colts took the win. Both teams came into this week 6-4 on the season, and not only was Houston looking for redemption from the Week 7 loss, but also the loss in Week 10 they took at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. This game was also a “must-win” for both teams with the top spot in the AFC South standings also at stake. The combination of Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins on offense, along with Will Fuller, and a defense that held Jacoby Brissett to 129 yards and T.Y. Hilton to just 18 yards gave the Texans the three-point win, 20-17, and took the lead in the standings, as well.
The game started off slow, with neither team converting their opening drives into any points. The score remained 0-0 at the end of the first quarter. Houston put up the first points of the game when Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 35-yard field goal, giving the Texans the 3-0 lead early in the second quarter.
On the next Houston possession, a Watson pass intended for Will Fuller was intercepted by Kenny Moore II and the Colts capitalized as Brissett rushed the ball five yards for a touchdown, taking the lead with four-and-a-half minutes left in the quarter.
The Texans answered on the next drive after Watson connected with Hopkins for a 35-yard touchdown, and Hopkins took the ball to his mom, a home game tradition between the two. The Colts finished out the half with a 36-yard field goal kick by Adam Vinatieri and the game was tied at 10 points a piece going into halftime.
Houston started the second half with possession of the ball and but unable to convert the drive into points. The Colts did turn their opening drive into points when Jonathan Williams took the ball for a 13-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Colts the lead, 17-10. The Texans answered in their next possession for a field goal score as Fairbairn put it through the posts from 36 yards out, closing the Indianapolis lead to four.
The Texans scored again on their next drive after Watson connected with Hopkins, this time for 30 yards, and Houston took the three-point lead with 12-and-a-half minutes left in the game.
The Colts’ last opportunity to put another score on the board ended when Brissett rushed the ball on the fourth down for six yards, thinking he was one yard further than he was for the first down conversion; he needed seven yards and stopped just short at six. On the following Houston possession, the Texans kept it for just under three minutes to secure the three-point win over the Colts. 20-17 was the final score, and the Texans took the top spot in the AFC South standings with the Colts right behind them.
The Colts will face the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 1 while the Texans will face the New England Patriots.
You love to see it.@deshaunwatson | @DeAndreHopkins pic.twitter.com/lN2W0Crb7t
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 23, 2019
Ben Banogu gets to Watson, keeping the Texans to a field goal. #INDvsHOU pic.twitter.com/M4MauwT9ZQ
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) November 22, 2019
