Colts Have Flaws but Positioned Back on Top of AFC South

It was a game, that for once, went exactly as planned. 

Andrew Luck versus J.J. Watt, they said. Luck threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns, overcoming a phenomenal game by Watt, who finished with two sacks, seven tackles, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and three batted passes. 

Check. 

T.Y. Hilton would have his usual big game against the Houston Texans, they said. All the third-year receiver from Florida International did was catch all nine of his targets for 223 yards and a touchdown, one yard short of the franchise record. 

Check. 

Arian Foster and Andre Johnson would be their usual, Colt-killing selves, they said. Foster ground out 109 yards and two touchdowns while Johnson chipped in 99 yards and a touchdown through the air. 

Check. 

But most importantly, they said the Colts would be back in control of the AFC South. 

So maybe letting the Texans back into the game after a 24-0 run to start wasn't planned. Maybe a shotgun-snap miscommunication that resulted in a Watt touchdown wasn't planned. Needing another defensive stand to finish the game definitely wasn't planned. 

It took some bumps, surprises and disappointments, but the final result was exactly what we expected: The Colts leading the AFC South once again, now in sole possession of first place. 

Check.

The Colts are now on a 10-game win streak against the AFC South, and are 13-2 against the rest of the division since Luck entered the league in 2012 (13-10 against the rest of the league). 

This 2014 version of Andrew Luck, the potential MVP version, especially likes facing the AFC South opponents, even those with Watt on board. 

Opponent	Games	Comp. %	Yards	Y/A	TD	INT	Rating
AFC South	3	68.5%	1133	9.14	11	2	120.1
Non-AFC South	3	64.0%	854	6.28	6	5	80.9

Through six weeks, we've been reminded once again how much better the Colts are than the rest of the division, particularly at the quarterback position. The Texans aren't nearly as bad as the Tennessee Titans or the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they don't have Andrew Luck. 

Sometimes, it really is that simple. 

The Texans exposed all of the Colts' flaws on Thursday. They exposed the Colts' run-blocking, holding Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw to 2.7 yards per carry. They exposed the Colts' defense for the inconsistent unit that it is, with Foster and Johnson taking turns punishing Colts defenders after a slow start. They were the benefactors of two fluky turnovers, one a tipped pass at the line and the other a miscommunicated snap between Luck and his undrafted rookie center, Jonotthan Harrison. The latter turned into Watt's third touchdown of the season.

But in the end, they needed Ryan Fitzpatrick to lead a game-winning drive to overcome the 33 points that Luck and the Colts offense had put on the board. Quite predictably, that attempt failed anticlimactically, with Bjoern Werner getting the game-ending strip sack as Fitzpatrick frantically panicked in the pocket. 

The Texans didn't have Andrew Luck, the Colts did.

And Luck had a not-so-secret weapon: T.Y. Hilton. 

By now, you'd think that Houston would have learned. Hilton has burned them before, averaging over 90 yards per game against the Texans prior to Thursday. Whether it was the three touchdowns—including the game-winner—to come back and win in Houston last November, the game-winning 70-yard bomb to ice the game in Indianapolis in 2012 or the numerous other big catches he's had against them, Hilton always has found a way to bury the Texans. 

This time around, it was a little bit of everything. On the Colts' first third down of the game, Luck dropped in a gorgeous rainbow over Hilton's back shoulder for a 40-yard gain. On the very next drive, Luck hit him again for a diving catch for 54 yards down the seam to set up a five-yard Trent Richardson touchdown run. Then it was the next drive, when Hilton caught a pass for a first down to help set up another touchdown. Then the next drive, Luck found Hilton crossing the field for a 37-yard catch-and-run. 

Hilton had 147 yards...in the first quarter. 

He'd go on to catch all nine of his targets, including a 33-yard bomb that he climbed the ladder to snag over a defender. He finished with 223 yards and a long-overdue touchdown, proving once again that he is the Colts' new No. 1 receiver. 

Last week, the talk was all about Reggie Wayne's return to prominence, but the future is all about Hilton. He was sublime on Thursday night, but he's been playing well all season. He was 10th in the NFL in catches going into Thursday's game, ninth in yards and fifth in targets. After Thursday night, he now leads the NFL in receiving yards, although there are still the rest of the Week 6 games left to be played. 

Luck to Hilton is going to be fun to watch for a long, long time. 

Yes, there were some ugly moments. Luck and Harrison desperately need to improve their chemistry and timing on snaps, as they've had multiple snap-related issues over the last two weeks. The run game has yet to get going against a quality defense. The defense is very inconsistent and showed each of its weaknesses against Houston. 

But the Colts are getting a pass rush from Greg Manusky's blitzes and improvements from Bjoern Werner. The offensive game-planning has taken leaps and bounds forward over the last few weeks, and he is one of the most effective units in the league right now, even without the threat of a league-leading run game. And Andrew Luck is proving that he's right where he belongs among the league's best quarterbacks. 

Sometimes the style points don't matter. A short week against a solid divisional opponent, on the road, is one of those times. 

Even with their flaws, the Colts are right where they need to be: on top once again.