Each week, we take a closer look at arguably the biggest play from the Houston Texans’ game. Here’s what we viewed as the turning point from Sunday’s 19-17 loss to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The situation: Colts’ ball, second-and-10 at Indianapolis 35-yard line.
The score: Texans 17, Colts 16
Time remaining: 1 minute, 43 seconds in fourth quarter.
The sequence: After a first-down incompletion, the Colts needed a chunk play to get into field goal range and they got it, with Daniel Jones finding Laquon Treadwell in a soft spot over the middle for 20 yards.
The aftermath: The Colts were in Texans territory and were able to hand the ball to Jonathan Taylor and milk the clock down — with an inexplicable assist from the Texans in not calling timeout right away after Taylor’s first-down run, allowing 30-some seconds to run off — before Spencer Shrader hit the winning 53-yard field goal with 16 seconds left.
What might’ve been: The Colts were reeling after losing a fumble and seeing the Texans take their first lead. Had Houston’s vaunted defense come up with a stop or preserved more time, the Texans might not be discussing another 0-3 start.