Colts vs. Texans: Score and Twitter Reaction for Sunday Night Football

The Houston Texans overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to shock the Indianapolis Colts with a 26-23 overtime victory on Sunday Night Football.

Down 23-9 just over halfway through the fourth quarter, Brock Osweiler led back-to-back touchdown drives to tie the game with 49 seconds left. Nick Novak then made the game-winning 33-yard field goal in overtime to seal the win for the Texans, helping them improve to 4-2 on the season. 

Osweiler had an up-and-down night, struggling with his accuracy for much of the game before helping lead the comeback. He ended up going 25-of-39 for 269 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

ESPN Stats & Info provided a look at Osweiler's two-sided performance:

Lamar Miller was the star for the Texans, running wild for 149 rushing yards, 29 receiving yards and two total touchdowns. He routinely gashed the Colts for chunk gains in the second half, helping spark the stagnant Houston offense. 

Conversely, Andrew Luck started the game hot but couldn't close things out as the Colts fell to 2-4 on the season. The former No. 1 overall pick finished with 252 passing yards and a touchdown to go with 53 rushing yards and another score.

Frank Gore was also his usually steady self with 106 rushing yards on 22 carries, becoming the first Colts player to break 100 rushing yards in a game since 2012.

ESPN's Chris Sprow highlighted Indianapolis' epic collapse:

Houston's comeback was a major surprise considering how it fared in the first three quarters. The Texans offense especially sputtered early, as evidenced by numberFire's description of the first series:

Osweiler continued to have a hard time finding his targets, which led to a handful of punts in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, the Colts had no trouble moving down the field. They started off the scoring with a field goal and followed it up with a touchdown to go up 10-0 early in the second quarter. Luck was able to find Jack Doyle across the middle for a 22-yard touchdown with 14:55 remaining before halftime.

Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star had high praise for the Colts' all-around play to start the game:

The Colts added another field goal to push their lead to 13-0 before the Texans finally found any sort of momentum offensively. Houston got on the board with two minutes remaining in the second quarter thanks to an 11-play drive that ended with a field goal.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle noted the team was finally coming alive after a miserable first half:

An interception on the next drive ensured the 13-3 score would hold heading into halftime. Houston fans weren't happy with the product on the field in the first half, per Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press:

Houston finally got on the right track during its first drive of the second half. The squad utilized its rushing attack and ended up with a 10-play, 82-yard drive that ended with a Miller one-yard touchdown run.

Fantasy owners were certainly happy with the running back's first score of the year, as Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports joked:

A missed extra point attempt kept the score at 13-9, but the craziness was just getting started.

The Colts drove the ball into the red zone and appeared likely to extend the lead, but the Texans made a stop on 4th-and-short on a questionable call by the Indianapolis coaching staff. The home team failed to keep that momentum, however, as Osweiler threw an interception two plays later.

Mike Wells of ESPN provided his thoughts on the series of events:

Following Osweiler's interception, Luck took advantage by scrambling for a 14-yard touchdown run, via the NFL on Twitter:

Another long drive ended in a field goal from the ever-reliable Adam Vinatieri to extend the Colts' lead to 23-9 with 7:12 remaining. The kick put him one short of Mike Vanderjagt's NFL record of 42 straight conversions, per Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. The 43-year-old will have a chance to tie or break the record against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7.

Vinatieri's field goal seemingly pushed the game out of reach for Houston, but the Texans finally made their move in the final minutes. A long drive against a soft defense helped Houston cut the lead in half, capped off by Miller's incredible catch-and-run 10-yard score, via the NFL:

After Houston's defense forced a three-and-out to give the Texans a chance to tie, the offense took advantage. Osweiler only needed three plays to drive 53 yards into the end zone, finishing it off with a 26-yard pass to C.J. Fiedorowicz with 49 seconds remaining.

Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus praised the inconsistent quarterback:

The Colts failed to clinch the win either at the end of regulation or on the first possession of overtime, giving the Texans the chance to steal the victory. A 36-yard sideline catch by Jaelen Strong put Houston in field-goal range, and Novak did the rest to seal up the game.

ESPN Stats and Info provided an incredible statistic for Osweiler's ability to come from behind:

While the Colts would have tied the Texans for first place in the AFC South with a win, the turnaround could have major postseason implications. 

Next week brings a tough test for the Texans, as they're headed on the road to face the Denver Broncos. While the defending Super Bowl champions have lost two in a row, Osweiler's return to his old team only adds to the intrigue of the matchup.

The Colts likewise go on the road in Week 7, drawing a Titans team that has won two games in a row. After a disappointing loss Sunday night, this next game is looking like a must-win for Indianapolis.

Postgame Reaction

Comebacks like this are hard to come by, but Texans coach Bill O'Brien knows his players learned a lesson Sunday, per the team's Twitter account:

Meanwhile, Osweiler would just like some more fan support, per Jeff Rosen of the Kansas City Star:

The stadium did appear near empty by the time Houston made its move, although this is a mistake the fans might not make again.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.