Big Takeaways from Houston Texans' Loss to Colts on Thursday Night

The Indianapolis Colts were without injured quarterback Andrew Luck when at the Houston Texans on Thursday night. Backup Indianapolis QB Matt Hasselbeck was sick. Houston was rejuvenated by (another) QB switch. The Colts nevertheless managed to defeat the Texans 27-20. 

Houston head coach Bill O'Brien has quite the mess to deal with this fall.

O'Brien's first order of business is to once again pick a starting QB for the Texans. Ryan Mallett began the game under center for Houston, but he was sidelined in the second quarter when, according to the Associated Press (h/t Port Arthur News), he had the "wind knocked out of him" after a hit. Enter journeyman Brian Hoyer, who played well enough in relief to keep Mallett a spectator up through the end of the contest.

The stat line would lead one to believe that Hoyer was close to perfect versus the Colts. Hoyer completed 24 of 31 attempts. He finished the game with 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns to wide receiver Jaelen Strong. Logic would suggest that Hoyer deserves another chance to start.

Logic and stats sometimes lie. The Colts, holding a lead and the knowledge that the defense of the Texans would fold and fold again, routinely played a soft prevent with Hoyer in the game. This allowed Hoyer to throw underneath to targets who were wide open time after time.

The two touchdown passes that Hoyer delivered were gifts from the Colts. Five different Indianapolis players took each other out inside of the end zone on the Hail Mary pass that ended the first half. All Strong had to do was hold onto the football as it landed into his arms.

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

Hoyer's second touchdown, a throw that brought the Texans to within three of the Colts in the third quarter, was as easy a pass as he'll ever be asked to throw as a National Football League QB. A pair of Indianapolis defensive backs collided with each other as Strong made his way to the corner of the end zone. From there, it was a game of pitch-and-catch between Hoyer and Strong.

Hoyer had two opportunities in the fourth quarter to cement his spot as QB No. 1 on the depth chart of the Texans. He squandered both.

Hoyer was facing pressure in the pocket when he missed an open DeAndre Hopkins down the left sideline on what should have been a Houston touchdown. Hoyer then ended the game with an unforgivable interception in the final minutes, a pass no NFL QB can ever make. 

The Texans are clearly still missing a legitimate starting QB. ESPN staff writer Tania Ganguli wrote about the situation following Houston's loss to Indianapolis:

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The Texans' handling of their quarterback situation is a bit baffling at this point. Tonight, the decision to go with Hoyer wasn't just been about injury -- Mallett was ready to go back in. But if O'Brien was ready to make that decision then, why not to start the game? Or why did he switch to Mallett in the first place, rather than giving Hoyer time to recover from a poor showing?

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Speaking of missing, All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt was barely visible throughout the game. Indianapolis did well to neutralize Watt, who finished the evening with two tackles. Watt only got to Hasselbeck a single time, but Watt was unable to register a sack on that play.

The CBS/NFL Network commentary team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms pointed out in the second half that Watt had been facing double-teams throughout the game. Great defensive players receive extra attention from opposing offensive lines. They still make plays.

George Bridges/Associated Press

Watt was only one player on a Houston defense that was disappointing against the Colts. The Texans failed to sack the 40-year-old Hasselbeck once. Second-year pro defensive player Jadeveon Clowney was again a non-factor.

"We're not happy, obviously," Watt told reporters, per ESPN after the game. "But we're going to go back to work and figure it out."

It's easy to understand why Watt and the Texans are displeased. Houston had a chance to face the Colts at home without having to worry about an injured Luck (shoulder) making plays. Houston could have risen to the top of the AFC South standings. Just as frustrating for the Texans is that Hasselbeck was, per Will Brinson of CBS Sports, hardly 100 percent healthy.

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The 40-year-old Indy backup suffered through an emergency room trip for a bacterial infection and his body was a, um, leaky house most of the week.

"Lots of stuff coming out of the attic, then a lot of stuff coming out the basement," Hasselbeck said.

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Brinson later added:

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Postgame, Hasselbeck was as emotional as you'll see him. He said he didn't know if he would be able to finish the game and fought back tears trying to explain how it happened.

"You know what? It wasn't as hard as I thought. Before the game, I honestly thought, I didn't know if I could make it through," Hasselbeck said. "For some reason I was able to finish. I can't explain it. It was amazing."

Asked where his tears came from, Hasselbeck wasn't even sure he had anything in the tank.

"I got nothing left probably," Hasselbeck said. "I don't know. It's been an emotional day."

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October 9 is early to bury any NFL team. Still, Houston fans may want to locate their shovels. The Texans will likely have to face Luck when the team travels to Indianapolis later in the season. Houston is last in the division standings. Neither Hoyer nor Mallett is the answer at QB. The vaunted defense of the Texans just got lit up by a 40-year-old fighting off a bacterial infection.

The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars at least have hope. Blake Bortles could prove himself to be a franchise QB for the Jaguars. First-year pro Marcus Mariota has played well under center for the Titans minus some expected rookie miscues. Houston, meanwhile, is just an all-around bad team.

Thursday night showed that the Texans may be the worst overall team in the AFC South.