The Indianapolis Colts (4-2) are now alone in first place in the AFC South following their huge 30-23 win over the Houston Texans (4-3) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was mostly positive from the Colts, who showed they truly are a front-runner for a top-four seed in the AFC playoff race. They’ve taken down two of the top teams in the conference in consecutive games.
Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the win:
The Good
QB Jacoby Brissett: The fourth-year quarterback had a career day throwing for 326 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. In a game where the Texans challenged him to beat them, Brissett answered the call.
WR Zach Pascal: Both Pascal and Hilton had strong days, but it was the former that made the most damage. He, too, had a career game recording six receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
DE Justin Houston: The veteran continued his hot streak of strong play. He was credited with two sacks against Deshaun Watson and was strong in setting the edge.
DE Jabaal Sheard: On the other end of the line, Sheard also had a strong game. He was able to get pressure on Watson a number of times while playing extremely well against the run.
The Bad
WR Deon Cain: Playing on 42% of snaps, Cain was a no-show yet again despite seemingly having the opportunities to produce. The second-year wideout wasn’t targeted on the day.
Fourth-quarter offense: The Colts have to prove they can put games away offensively. They didn’t do so Sunday as they ran 13 plays and netted just 25 yards in the fourth quarter.
The Ugly
Run game: It was tough for the backfield, which averaged just 2.7 yards per carry on the day. Marlon Mack led the team with 18 carries but gained just 44 yards.
