While valiantly staying in the game until the end after a season ending injury to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Texans were unable to mount much of an offensive attack & fell to the Colts 17-10. This dropped the Texans to 0-13 all time in Indianapolis, which is veritable house of horrors for them.
The Colts clinched the AFC South with the win, while the Texans dropped back to the .500 mark at 7-7. The Texans season is probably all but over, even if they have not been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with 2 games remaining in the season & the team starting a rookie QB.
Here is the weekly Pick 6, or the 6 observations from Sunday’s game …
Time for another spin on the QB carousel
The Texans have had the misfortunate of 2 season ending injuries to starting QBs. After Ryan Mallett took over for Ryan Fitzpatrick, he tore his pectoral muscle & was sidelined for the season after 2 starts.
Now in the 3rd to last game of the season, the Texans lost Fitzpatrick to a broken leg on a 2 yard run in the 2nd quarter. It was unfortunate for the Texans to lose Fitzpatrick, even though he had not had a good start to the day going 3 of 6 for just 30 yards.
As it turned out, the game was there for the taking, but the Texans had to turn to a rookie, Tom Savage, getting his 1st regular season action & the offense sputtered as a result. The job now probably belongs to Savage, depending on his health status after injuring his leg late in the game, with the backup being Thad Lewis.
The Texans are bringing back Case Keenum for the final 2 games of the season, so expect the stands to be dotted with UH jerseys & chants of “Keenum” at NRG Stadium once again.
Texans get a first-hand look to the future with Savage
It has been evident all season that the Texans still have to decide on a quarterback for the future. The Texans did select a QB in the 4th round of the draft, Tom Savage, but he spent most of the season on the inactive list as the 3rd QB.
It was looking like he probably would not see any game action this season, but the injury to Fitzpatrick gave him an opportunity to take the field in a crucial divisional game. He finished 10 of 19 for 127 yards, including showing his huge arm with a couple of pinpoint strikes to De Andre Hopkins & DeVier Posey & the ability to shake off hits to extend plays.
He also showed his gaffes, with fumbled snaps & a fumbled handoff to Arian Foster. His final throw of the game on 4th down ended in a pick that sealed the win for the Colts, but Savage showed enough in his 1st game action to get Texans fans excited about seeing more of him as a possible QB of the future. However, Savage was hurt late in the game & remains a question mark to start the final two games if he has a significant leg injury.
A great collective effort by the defense
Make no bones about it, the Texans defense played superbly to hold the Colts to 17 points at home & give the team a chance to win. This Indianapolis Colts team led by all world QB Andrew Luck is 2nd in the NFL with 31.7 points per game, 1st in total yards averaging 432.4, and 1st in passing offense with 321.8 yards per game.
The Texans defense held them to 17 points, 278 total yards of offense, and only 168 yards passing for Luck. The Colts did end up with around their average of 110 yards rushing, but the 
Texans held them to 2 of 12 on 3rd downs, which is phenomenal.
Credit defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel for his gameplan to give Luck different looks, and for the excellent coverage for most of the game by the secondary against the great Reggie Wayne & Texans killer T.Y. Hilton. With any kind of offensive output, the Texans could have finally upset the Colts, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Texans keep up their NFL leading takeaways
The Texans got their 1st points on Sunday with a pick 6, as safety Kendrick Lewis intercepted a pass that he ran back 27 yards 
for an acrobatic TD. They could have used a few more scores by the defense on a day the offense was moribund, but the Texans did get two more turnovers to set a franchise record 31 takeaways for the season.
The 2nd turnover on a strip & fumble recovery by A.J. Bouye on Reggie Wayne was immediately coughed up by the Texans on their ensuing offensive play, so the Texans were not able to capitalize on it. But it shows just how far the Texans have come defensively after a year when they only had 11 takeaways.
Penalties & playcalls end up costing the Texans
The Texans ended up with 8 penalties for 66 yards, but none was costlier than DeVier Posey’s holding call on an Arian Foster 25 yard TD run.
If there was a question why Posey has been on the inactive list all season, that error showed why he might have been in the doghouse. He does show talent at the receiver position, but that penalty was a game-changer since it removed 7 points off the board.
There are always going to be plays that are second-guessed in a game & O’Brien was at a disadvantage with a rookie QB, but some of these playcalls really raised eyebrows & had an effect on the final score.
For instance, the Texans had a 3rd & 2 late in the 1st half in Colts territory. Instead of handing off to Foster who finished the day with 99 yards rushing, they peculiarly went with a Savage run & he was tackled short of the 1st down. Then on the following 4th & 2, the Texans tried a fake punt with Alfred Blue, but it was stuffed short & the Colts got the ball with great field position.
Finally, on a 4th down with little more than 7 minutes remaining & the game still in the balance at 14-10, the Texans decided to go for it rather than punt it deep & back the Colts up near the goal line with their defense playing well. While the aggression to go for it is nice to see from the coaching staff, it may not have been the right call on a day with a rookie QB & the defense on a roll.
J.J. is still in the MVP mix
Although the Texans playoff hopes are dim with the loss to the Colts & usually MVPs come from Super Bowl caliber teams, J.J. Watt kept up his MVP caliber play with another 
sensational performance against an elite QB in Andrew Luck & the #1 rated Colts’ offense. He ended up with 2 sacks, 6 tackles, and a pass swatted down for the aptly named J.J. “Swatt.”
He will probably not surpass Aaron Rodgers for the overall NFL MVP, but his strong performances week after week are special to watch. It will be interesting to monitor over the last couple of games how many sacks he ends up with, and whether his superb season will do the unthinkable & push him past Rodgers, Manning, and Brady for overall NFL MVP.
