Texans fall to Colts 20-14 in AFC South matchup
HOUSTON, Texans -- T.Y. Hilton had 175 yards receiving with two touchdowns to help the Indianapolis Colts halt a three-game skid with a 20-14 win on Sunday over a Houston Texans team that struggled without Deshaun Watson.
Jacoby Brissett threw for 308 yards filling in for Andrew Luck, who was placed on injured reserve on Thursday and will miss the season after having shoulder surgery in January.
Watson's stellar season also ended that day when the rookie tore the anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees in practice.
Tom Savage, who was benched in the opener for Watson, couldn't move the offense for most of the game, but threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to get Houston within 20-14.
The Texans had a chance to win it late, but Savage was sacked by Jabaal Sheard and fumbled as time ran out to secure the victory.
With Watson running the offense, the Texans (3-5) had set a franchise record by scoring 30 or more points in five straight games.
His development had given the team hope that they could finish strong and contend for a third straight postseason berth despite losing J.J. Watt to a season-ending injury for a second straight year.
On Sunday, with Watson relegated to an extra coach on the bench, this Houston offense sputtered.
Houston got a touchdown on a fumble return in the second quarter, but the offense didn't score until a 34-yard reception by DeAndre Hopkins with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter that made it 20-14.
It was the first touchdown pass for Savage, who made the fourth start of his career on Sunday. He finished 19 of 44 for 219 yards.
Hilton continued his dominance against the Texans to allow the Colts (3-6) to avoid their first four-game losing streak under coach Chuck Pagano. He has 1,117 yards receiving and nine touchdowns in 11 games against Houston.
He gave the Colts and early lead on Sunday when he hauled in a 45-yard touchdown reception on their first drive.
Houston's Ka'imi Fairbairn missed his first field goal of the season on a 39-yard attempt early in the second quarter.
Adam Vinatieri, who moved past Gary Anderson for second on the NFL's career scoring list on Sunday with 2,442 points, added a 22-yard field goal for the Colts to make it 10-0 in the second.
Houston got on the board near the end of the second quarter when Eddie Pleasant sacked Brissett and forced a fumble which Lamarr Houston returned 34 yards to cut the lead to 10-7 at halftime.
Hilton's second touchdown came when he took a short pass and dashed 80 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-7 in the third quarter. He jumped over Kareem Jackson to avoid his tackle and fell to the turf around the 32-yard line on the run. But Jackson didn't touch him, so Hilton got up and ran into the end zone with no Texan following him because they all thought he was down by contact.
Houston challenged the play, but it was upheld.
GRIFFIN INJURED: Houston TE Ryan Griffin sustained a concussion in the third quarter. It's his second concussion this season.
UP NEXT
Colts: Host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Texans: Visit the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.
