The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Houston Texans yesterday evening in a blowout 21-7 victory. The sixth seeded Colts will advance to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs next Saturday. The third seeded Texans will retreat to their couch to watch the Colts play the Chiefs next Saturday.
From the very beginning, Indianapolis dominated this game. On very first drive, they got an interception that resulted in points. Repeatedly, Darius Leonard and company stifled the Texans offense. First team all-pro receiver Deandre Hopkins had five receptions for just 37 yards, and was shut down by Colts corner Pierre Desir. Lamar Miller also failed to get going and hardly saw any touches from the backfield.
Despite the great defense of the Colts, the story of this game was Indy's running attack. Coming into the game, the Texans defense had allowed the least running yards per game and had yet to give up over 100 yards to a single rusher. Colts running back Marlon Mack proceeded to run for 148 yards on 24 carries and a score.
Much of this credit should go to the Colts offensive line. Despite being tagged as the worst in the league for the past few seasons, this season they have come alive. Led by rookie/all-pro guard Quenton Nelson, the offensive line in among the best in the NFL. They not only cleared huge paths for Mack, but also held JJ Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and the rest of the Texans front seven to no sacks and just 8 QB pressures.
This game could have been much closer, but the Texans made numerous key errors early on. For example, in the second quarter, they threw on a fourth and one in the Colts red zone. Had they run the ball, they likely would have gotten it and then scored a touchdown. Instead, the Colts got the ball back and scored.
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