The Indianapolis Colts never seemed to be out of the game against the Houston Texans on Sunday. For most of the first half, it looked like they had the advantage and were the better team. Yes, Anthony Richardson has had his issues, but his completion percentage doesn’t tell the whole story as the majority of his passes were on target but choppy. The defense pressured CJ Stroud and did not allow him to get too comfortable. The majority of the game was easy for the Colts, but two moments stood out. These two moments had a direct impact on the final result.
With thirty seconds left in the first half, facing third-and-3, Richardson forced a pass to Josh Downs that was intercepted. The defender returned the ball to the Colts 7-yard line, and the Texans took advantage on the next play. Before the interception, the score was tied, a best-case scenario for the Colts who, outside of a long touchdown to Downs, struggled to move the ball. The tie game, on the road against your division rival, was easy to manage. But this mistake was costly, as it proved to be the difference in the final result.
The second moment was positive, but overwhelming at the same time. As the Texans were driving late in the game and threatening to put this on ice, Dayo Odeengbo recovered a fumble on a foul pitch from Stroud to Joe Mixon. From the 18 at Houston, he picked up a fumble along the way for a Colts touchdown. That score, after the extra point, would have put the Colts ahead by four with three minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, Odeyingbo’s touchdown was ruled by contact, and the touchdown was cleared off the board. The Colts were only able to punt back on the next drive and had to give it back to Texas.
Sports are all about moments. Some are small and don’t stand out, but they can make a big difference. Others, like the ones we saw on Sunday, were stark and overwhelming. Prepare the Colts for an interception before halftime or a fumble for a touchdown and things might have been much different. Instead of being .500, the Colts could be 5-3 and tied for first in the division. At this point, it is what it is. Disappointing but it doesn’t change. We can only hope that the Colts find themselves on the receiving end of such positive plays in the future.
