Final: Colts 27, Texans 20
Hoyer throws a key interception within the last two minutes and the Colts are able to run out the clock to move to 3-2 on the season. The Texans fall to 1-4 even with the efforts of Hoyer, who throws for over 300 yards after coming in for Ryan Mallett. Each team will have ten days off now until their next game. It should allow Andrew Luck to return for the Colts while the Texans try to figure out what to do next.
4th Quarter- Colts 27, Texans 20: Novak hits a 49-yard field goal with 6:07 left to pull Houston within a touchdown but needs their defense to step up now to get the ball back. Hoyer has passed for 271 yards since coming into the game.
4th Quarter- Colts 27, Texans 17: A long nearly nine-minute drive ends in a short touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to Andre Johnson for the second time in this game. Johnson is making his homecoming a coming out party for this season and the lead is back at ten with 10:28 to play.
End 3rd Quarter– Hoyer has thrown for 211 yards since coming in for Mallett, who looks clearly angry he is on the bench. The Colts have gotten exactly what they needed out of Hasselbeck.
3rd Quarter- Colts 20, Texans 17: After Hoyer found DeAndre Hopkins over and over again, he finds a wide-open Strong in the end zone for his second touchdown of the night and Houston is able to keep the game close. Hopkins has ten catches for 148 yards with more than a quarter to go for the Texans.
3rd Quarter- Colts 20, Texans 10: Indy goes right down the field after the disappointing way the first half ended and gets a touchdown from Frank Gore to extend their lead back to double digits again. It will be interesting to see if Houston can respond again.
Halftime- Colts 13, Texans 10
Jaelen Strong catches a hail mary from Hoyer to end the first half on a 42-yard pass. A shocking way to end the first 30 minutes. The Colts have to be sick allowing that to happen. Suddenly, it is a much different football game with Hoyer at quarterback over Mallett. Hoyer is 8-for-13 for 127 yards and a touchdown. For the Colts, Hasselbeck is 9-for-15 for 91 yards.
2nd Quarter- Colts 13, Texans 3: Nick Novak gets Houston on the board. Hoyer looks like he is better for the Texans offense than Mallett and likely will end up staying in the game when Houston gets the ball back.
2nd Quarter- 6:30 left: Mallett leaves the game after taking a hard hit. Brian Hoyer takes over for the Texans.
2nd Quarter- Colts 13, Texans 0: Vinatieri kicks a 42-yard field goal to extend the Indianapolis lead as Houston looks uninterested as the Colts go up and down the field in the first half with 7:37 left before halftime.
1st Quarter- Colts 10, Texans 0: Andre Johnson in his return to Houston catches a four-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck and the Colts are cruising early on. Hasselbeck is just 4-for-6 for 34 yards but Frank Gore has 37 rushing yards on four carries. Indianapolis must be pleased.
1st Quarter- Colts 3, Texans 0: Adam Vinatieri hits a 48-yard field goal after the officials pick up a flag for illegal contact that would have given Indianapolis a first down. The interception comes back to haunt the Texans as they now trail.
1st Quarter- 8:45 left: A very long Texans opening possession deep into Indianapolis territory ends with a Mallett interception by Mike Adams. Not the way Houston would have liked to have finished a nearly seven-minute possession using Arian Foster at every turn.
Pregame
It’s another Thursday night affair in the AFC South as the Colts face the Texans in Houston. Indianapolis will be without Andrew Luck for the second straight week and will need to depend on Matt Hasselbeck, who didn’t practice all week and was in the hospital as recently as Tuesday morning. Without Luck, the 2-2 Colts will have to hope that they can score enough points to overcome a talented defensive line from Houston. The 1-3 Texans will have Ryan Mallett starting again this week and that veteran experience should help along with the complete return of Arian Foster to the lineup. This is shaping up to be a low-scoring, defensive affair between two teams that are struggling early this season.
