C.J. Stroud, Texans hang on to beat Colts, clinch playoff berth

INDIANAPOLIS — Two teams that combined for seven wins last season proved how far ahead of schedule their rebuilds are by playing for a playoff berth Saturday night, and the Houston Texans didn’t have to settle for a moral victory.

A fourth-down stand with 1:03 left secured a 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts as Houston heads to the playoffs. The Texans will be the AFC South champs if the Jacksonville Jaguars lose at the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

It capped a tremendous regular season for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and first-year coach DeMeco Ryans, but it also showed the Colts are on track under first-year coach Shane Steichen.

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Houston Texans

In training camp, the Texans said they would shock the world, and qualifying for the playoffs in Ryans’ first year backed up the prediction.

Stroud’s poise belied his inexperience as he was playing in his first prime-time NFL game and the stakes were win or go home.

The rookie engineered a 12-play, 73-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter to put the Texans up for good. He was 7-of-7 for 82 yards on the drive

As a result, the Texans are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. This was Stroud and Ryans’ first season together, and they captured 10 regular-season wins after three last season.

QB breakdown: Stroud showed why he’s the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. The first play of Houston’s first drive was Stroud’s 59-yard pass to Nico Collins for a 75-yard touchdown, and Stroud continued the effective day throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He crossed the 4,000-yard mark, becoming the fifth rookie in NFL history to reach that milestone.

Describe the Texans’ game in two words: Nico Collins. The Texans were without their No. 2, 3 and 4 receivers and needed Collins to carry the passing game. He finished with nine catches for 195 yards (Houston had a total of 264) and a TD. Collins finished with the highest percentage (74) of reception yards in a game in Texans history (with a minimum of 200 passing yards).

Pivotal play: The Colts were facing a fourth-and-1 from the Texans’ 15 with 1:06 remaining in the game. Instead of running Jonathan Taylor, who was banged up earlier with heel and ankle issues, Gardner Minshew threw to running back Tyler Goodson, but Goodson dropped the ball, effectively sealing the outcome. — DJ Bien-Aime

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Indianapolis Colts

The Colts came away knowing they were ahead of schedule in their reboot from last season and well on their way toward taking another step in 2024.

That they were playing in a meaningful game in Week 18 said plenty about how far they’ve come from a four-win season. What Saturday night revealed, however, is they have more work to do. The lack of depth in the secondary was exposed. The wide receivers and tight ends made minimal impact and the tackling was shoddy.

But the Colts and Steichen should be a team to be reckoned with, even after a disappointing loss.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Defensively, the Colts made some potential miscalculations. They arguably waited too long to mix things up, like the timely blitz defensive coordinator Gus Bradley called for from safety/linebacker Ronnie Harrison Jr. in the fourth quarter that led to a sack of Stroud. When Stroud is comfortable in the pocket, trouble tends to follow the defense.

Pivotal play: Stroud hit Collins for a 75-yard touchdown on the Texans’ first play from scrimmage, a play that laid bare the Colts’ deep issues in the secondary. Personnel changes related to injuries have eroded the depth, and the lack of safety help (there were two safeties lined up deep on the play) for rookie cornerback JuJu Brents on the deep ball suggested someone blew a coverage.

Eye-popping Next Gen stat: The Colts produced 167 of their 227 rushing yards before contact, averaging 4.5 yards. That production came against a Houston defense that allowed, on average, 1.6 yards before contact per rush this season — the best mark in the NFL. Taylor turned in the second-biggest performance of his career with 188 rushing yards. — Stephen Holder