Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts: Full Report Card Grades for Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Colts are AFC South champions after a 17-10 win over the Houston Texans, and while it wasn't the prettiest of performances, all that matters to the team is that it's going to the playoffs for the third straight year.
Much like the past few weeks, the Colts got off to a slow start, with Andrew Luck throwing an early interception to Kendrick Lewis for a defensive touchdown to put his team in an early 7-0 hole. However, the Colts were able to get back on top after a pair of touchdown passes to Hakeem Nicks and Dwayne Allen, helping them take a 14-7 lead into halftime.
The second half was a boring one for those who like offense. The two teams traded punts throughout the third quarter, with neither scoring. It certainly didn't help that rookie Tom Savage had to take over at quarterback for the Texans in the second quarter after Ryan Fitzpatrick went down, as he could do little against the Colts defense.
The Texans were able to make things interesting in the fourth quarter with a 53-yard field goal to pull to within 14-10, but a late five-minute drive that ended with an Adam Vinatieri field goal put the pressure on Savage to lead Houston on a two-minute drill. The rookie QB couldn't do it, however, with Vontae Davis sealing the win with a fourth-down interception.
Neither team was able to do much offensively, with both sides putting up less than 290 total yards and combining for four turnovers. But the Colts will be happy to come away as division champions, so let's take a look at the complete unit grades from the Week 15 win.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Like the past few weeks, Luck got off to another very shaky start. Through the first four drives of the game, he went 3-of-10 passing for just 17 yards and an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
But like he always does, Luck made the necessary adjustments and shook off the early interception. On their first scoring drive, Luck went 6-of-6 while finishing the drive off with a 26-yard touchdown to Hakeem Nicks. He later added another touchdown on a three-yard pass to Dwayne Allen, going 16-of-26 with 164 yards, two scores and an interception at halftime.
The bad throws started to creep up again in the second half, however. There were a handful of opportunities to make plays down the field, but Luck was just inaccurate Sunday afternoon, possibly because of the threat of J.J. Watt on the other side of the ball.
The numbers for Luck weren't great, completing just 18 of his 34 pass attempts for 187 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, giving him a 76.5 passer rating. Luck should be able to turn it around, and the Colts will definitely need him to next week if they're going to compete against the Dallas Cowboys.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
Rookie Daniel Herron continues to look like a solid running back for the Colts, but they continue to limit his touches, having him split carries with Trent Richardson. Still, whenever Herron touched the ball on Sunday it felt like he was moving forward, finishing with 60 yards on just 11 carries and adding 12 yards on two receptions.
Richardson made some nice plays as well, even if the numbers don't show it. He finished with 32 yards on nine carries, including a solid nine-yard run in the red zone in the fourth quarter. However, his best play of the game came in the passing game, somehow catching a pass in traffic on third down before running down the field for a solid 16-yard gain.
While Luck struggled, the running backs did what they could to try and move the ball forward, although they were given limited opportunities to do so. Herron looks ready to carry the load once the postseason begins, but the real question is whether the coaching staff will let him.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
While the offense struggled to get going early, T.Y. Hilton continued to burn the Texans like he usually does, catching four passes for 50 yards in the first quarter. He was clearly fired up after some great catches and wasn't afraid to show it. Unfortunately, Hilton disappeared for the rest of the game and even left early due to a hamstring injury, according to Kevin Bowen from Colts.com.
In what felt like the first time in forever, Hakeem Nicks finally showed up for the Colts. Along with a 26-yard score in the second quarter, he also made a beautiful back-shoulder catch for 18 yards that set up another touchdown.
Reggie Wayne looked a lot better this week with a smaller sleeve on his elbow, catching four passes for 24 yards. That might not sound like a lot, but considering he was only targeted five times, Wayne definitely turned things around from that rough performance last week.
Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen were both involved in the passing game, combining for 48 yards on four catches. Allen caught a three-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but he could have had a much bigger game if Luck hadn't missed some throws targeted his way.
The receivers didn't put up the flashiest of numbers, but that's because of Luck's struggles. Nicks finally showed up for the first time in a while, and Wayne looked more like his old self. So it's hard to find anything to complain about from these guys.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Offensive line play has been an issue for the majority of the season for the Colts, but the first half was pretty solid all things considered. Luck was sacked twice by J.J. Watt, but that's to be expected when going against the soon-to-be Defensive Player of the Year.
Aside from the Watt sacks, the pocket was pretty clean for Luck in the first two quarters. The line also did a good job opening up some running lanes, with the team rushing for 53 yards on just 11 carries before halftime. The Colts finished with 110 rushing yards on the day.
Luck wasn't sacked again in the second half, although the pressure did get in his face from time to time. The more impressive thing was the ability to contain Watt, and while he did have two sacks, he wasn't nearly as dominant as he could have been. Gosder Cherilus continues to struggle on the right side, but other than that, it was one of the better games from the offensive line in the second half of the season.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Arian Foster has historically torn the Colts defense apart, but that wasn't the case on Sunday. The former Tennessee Volunteers running back ran for just 33 yards on 12 carries through the first two quarters in large part because of some nice plays from the defensive line.
Active for the first time in a few weeks, Zach Kerr made the most of his snaps, making some stops in the trenches to keep the Texans from running the ball effectively. Arthur Jones also did a nice job against the run, pushing offensive linemen back consistently.
Ricky Jean Francois had the only sack of the game but also made some other quality plays when coming in off the bench. The depth on the defensive line has been good to see when everyone is healthy, and hopefully that continues heading into the playoffs.
Foster may have finished with 99 rushing yards, but he only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. The Texans as a team averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt on the ground, running for 137 yards on 41 carries. The defensive line played well, and it made things tough for the Texans as they tried to find balance on offense.
Grade: A
Linebacker
6 of 10
After some recent games where Bjoern Werner did little to stand out, he made his presence felt early with a handful of tackles, including a hit on Foster in the backfield to get a tackle for loss. Werner was also in the right place at the right time in the first half, recovering a fumble after a bad handoff by Savage.
The inside linebackers were busy as well, with D'Qwell Jackson finishing with 10 total tackles, while Jerrell Freeman picked up nine. Freeman was also pretty solid in pass coverage, even recording a pass deflection.
The only starting linebacker who didn't play well was Erik Walden. He did his best to try and generate pressure but was never able to get to the opposing quarterback. He, Andy Studebaker and Shaun Phillips all struggled with mental errors as well, with each getting drawn offside.
There weren't any game-changing plays from the linebackers, but they did their jobs for the most part and helped keep the Texans offense from ever reaching the end zone.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
Vontae Davis returned this week after missing time due to a concussion and looked like the Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback he's been all year. The Texans tried to avoid throwing his way, but when they did it usually didn't turn out well. Along with two pass deflections, Davis also came away with the game-sealing interception to help the Colts clinch the AFC South.
Sergio Brown also had a nice game, and although fans didn't see a lot of him, he made his presence felt on the game's final drive. With DeAndre Hopkins getting behind Davis, it looked like he was going to come up with a huge gain, but Brown hit Hopkins at full speed and broke up the pass.
Greg Toler had at least one penalty during the course of the game, but his aggressive nature is bound to draw penalties, as Colts fans have seen in the past.
The secondary didn't have to worry too much once Savage came in, but it did a good job shutting down the passing game. The Texans quarterbacks went a combined 13-of-25 with just 152 yards and an interception, but the secondary will have a much tougher test next week trying to guard Dez Bryant and contain Tony Romo.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
8 of 10
The special teams went back to playing at a high level after a rougher performance last week. Pat McAfee was asked to punt often on Sunday but was much more consistent this time around, averaging 46.4 yards per punt with a longest of 59 yards.
The punt coverage was especially good, and that went a long way in helping McAfee's net average. Four of McAfee's punts pinned the Texans inside the 20-yard line with some big hits from Donte Moncrief and Sergio Brown helping.
Adam Vinatieri continues to be Mr. Reliable, although he only had to kick a field goal from 29 yards out. With just two games remaining, he has a chance to have a perfect regular season kicking the ball. I just hope that I didn't just jinx it.
With McAfee and Vinatieri, the special teams continue to play a big role in some of these wins, and today was certainly no exception.
Grade: A+
Coaching
9 of 10
The coaching staff got off on the wrong foot with a lot of Colts fans when the inactive list came out. Despite being the better center, A.Q. Shipley was inactive for Sunday's game. It wouldn't have been as bad if he just didn't start while Jonotthan Harrison snapped the ball, but the fact that the staff didn't even have him dress with Hugh Thornton and Joe Reitz both out rubbed people the wrong way.
Once the game began, however, there wasn't much to be critical about. Herron got an appropriate amount of touches compared to Richardson, and the offensive line was able to protect Luck fairly well. There were some strange play calls from Pep Hamilton in the second half, including a couple of tosses and a screen to Richardson that all went backward, but those can be overlooked to a degree.
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky did a nice job once again generating pressure with blitz schemes, but more importantly, his defense was ready to stop the run. Before Sunday, Foster had averaged over 140 rushing yards per game against the Colts, but the fact that they were able to hold him to 99 while averaging 3.8 yards per carry says a lot about the success of their game plan.
Grade: B-
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position | Final Grades |
| QB | C |
| RB | B+ |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | B |
| DL | A |
| LB | B |
| Secondary | A- |
| Special Teams | A+ |
| Coaching | B- |
| Cumulative Grade | B |
The Colts might have been able to pick up their fourth straight win, but all have come against opponents who will likely not be in the playoffs after the regular season. The past two wins have been especially concerning since they've been won by a combined eight points.
Slow starts from the offense and constant turnovers continue to be an issue for this team. The Colts might have been one of the first teams to secure a playoff spot, but they can't play sloppy and try to pull themselves out of a hole against any team once the playoffs begin.
There are still a lot of concerns about this team heading into the playoffs, and if the Colts are going to beat teams like the Denver Broncos or New England Patriots, they're going to need to cut down on the mistakes and hope for some magic from their third-year quarterback.
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