The Indianapolis Colts relinquished a late lead, then reclaimed it in the final seconds to win 19-17 over the Houston Texans.
The Indianapolis Colts' mantra in 2026 is to "find a way" to win each week, and that's exactly what they did on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Houston Texans.
The Colts controlled the first 55 minutes of the game before giving up a late touchdown to give Houston a 17-16 lead, but the Colts got the final two minutes and made a final game-winning drive out of it as kicker Spencer Shrader converted a 53-yard field goal.
This was the Colts' first win against the Texans in their last six tries, going back to Week 2 of the 2023 season.
FIRST QUARTER
The Texans won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff, which is logical when facing a defense that's surrendered the second-most yards (1,029) through their first two games in NFL history. However, the Colts' defense came up with a rare stop, forcing a three-and-out punt.
The Colts' offense squandered the bonus opportunity when Texans edge defender Will Anderson Jr. sacked Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, forcing a fumble, which Anderson also recovered.
Houston's offense retook the field and stalled out with a four-down turnover on downs. In the Colts' first two games, the first two drives of each all resulted in scores (three touchdowns, one field goal), but the Colts' defense forced stops on the first two on Sunday.
The Colts' offense took over on the ensuing drive and put points on the board, aided by a 15-yard pass from Jones to tight end Tyler Warren, a 24-yard pass from Jones to receiver Josh Downs, and a key third-down conversion on the ground from Jones. Altogether, it was a 13-play, 48-yard drive culminating in a 39-yard field goal by Shrader to give the Colts a 3-0 lead with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter. Shrader has been considered questionable to return to the game with a groin injury after pre-game warmups.
The Texans' next offensive drive resulted in a four-and-out punt.
SECOND QUARTER
The Colts began to separate with their first drive of the second quarter, constructing a 12-play, 69-yard drive for a six-yard touchdown from Jones to receiver Keenan Allen. Downs had catches of 12 yards, 18 yards, and 18 yards on the drive. By the end of this drive, Downs and Warren had combined for 114 yards on nine catches on the day.
The Colts nearly came up with another big play on the ensuing kickoff, as Colts edge defender Caden Curry ripped the ball from the grasp of returner Tremon Smith and the ball was recovered by Colts safety Jonathan Owens. However, upon further review, Smith's knee was down before the ball came out. With their second lease on the drive's life, Houston took advantage by stringing together a 12-play, 68-yard drive, finished off with a one-yard touchdown throw from Texans quarterback CJ Stroud to tight end Foster Moreau. The extra point cut the Colts' lead to 10-7, with 4:30 remaining in the first half.
The Colts responded by adding a little bit of padding to their lead, as Shrader connected on a career-long 58-yard kick. So much for the groin injury, right?
The Texans' offense then went three-and-out, and the Colts ran the clock out to end the half.
THIRD QUARTER
The Colts got the ball to start the second half, but the momentum they began building would be short-lived. After six plays, they sat in field goal range at Houston's 28-yard line. However, on 3rd-and-4, Jones threw a bad ball while being hit that went down the left side to the goal line. It was intercepted by Texans safety Reed Blankenship, who went out of bounds at Houston's own 1-yard line.
The Texans, backed up deep in their own end zone, avoided a safety, but did punt after a three-and-out. It would be the first of three consecutive three-and-outs by Houston and Indianapolis, knocking on the doorstep of the fourth quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Colts began the fourth quarter with a lengthy 15-play drive that covered just 51 yards and ended in a 37-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader to extend the Colts' lead to 16-7, with 12:43 remaining in the game.
The Texans finally had an answer, scoring again for the first time since the early second quarter. Houston's drive traveled 71 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a 24-yard field goal by Ka'imi Fiarbairn to cut the Colts' lead to 16-10, with 7:33 remaining in the game.
Disaster struck the Colts on their next drive, as Anderson got to Jones once again for a sack-fumble while in field goal range, which was recovered by Texans defensive lineman Tommy Togiai.
The Texans took full advantage of their bonus opportunity, marching 54 yards downfield in seven plays to score a short Woody Marks touchdown run. The extra point gave them the 17-16 lead with 1:48 remaining.
The Colts got a final shot at reclaiming the lead, and after a nail-biting sequence, Shrader nailed another kick from 53 yards to reclaim the lead, 19-17, with 0:16 remaining.
Houston's offense got one more opportunity but ran out of time after their final Hail Mary attempt.
