The Indianapolis Colts demolished the Houston Texans 31-3 Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium.
However, the game wasn’t a blowout the entire way. At halftime, the Texans trailed 10-3. They weren’t out of it at all. The Texans were going toe-to-toe with an equally disconsolate 1-4 squad that was trying to keep pace with the Tennessee Titans, who are currently ahead in the division with a 3-2 record.
In the third quarter, the Texans simply fell apart. Two plays after linebacker Darius Leonard picked off rookie quarterback Davis Mills, quarterback Carson Wentz threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mo Alie-Cox for a 17-3 lead.
When the Colts got the ball back, despite being trapped at their own 5-yard line, running back Jonathan Taylor rushed for an 83-yard gain to flip the field. Indianapolis capped off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run from Taylor, and the Colts had a seemingly insurmountable 24-3 lead with 6:37 to go in the third quarter.
Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill says that the Texans have struggled in the second half of games, and that it seems to be a pattern.
“I know we have to figure it out because, I mean, everyone could see it,” said Grugier-Hill. “I feel like we play pretty dominant in the first halves and then something happens. We have to learn how to finish. That’s just kind of the theme of the whole year.”
The Texans will have to figure out quickly how to finish games as they take on the Arizona Cardinals next week in Glendale at State Farm Stadium. The Cardinals are coming off of a 37-14 win over the Cleveland Browns on the road. The Cardinals are also the last unbeaten team in the NFL with a perfect 6-0 mark.
