INDIANAPOLIS — Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans wrapped up a playoff spot with a 23-19 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night, with Devin Singletary scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 3-yard run with 6:20 left.
The Texans (10-7) are going to the postseason for the first time since 2019. They won seven of their final 10 games and still could win the AFC South if Jacksonville loses at Tennessee on Sunday.
Indianapolis (9-8) was eliminated from the playoff chase with its third loss in five weeks. It hasn’t made the postseason since 2020.
Stroud was 20 of 26 with 264 yards and two touchdowns. Nico Collins had nine catches for 195 yards and a score, and Singletary had 64 yards on 24 carries.
The Colts had a late fourth-and-1 play from the Houston 15. But a wide-open Tyler Goodson dropped Gardner Minshew's pass, ending the Colts' hopes.
The loss ruined Jonathan Taylor's best game of the season. He rushed 30 times for 188 yards and a TD. Minshew was 13 of 24 for 141 yards.
It was an odd game that started with Stroud's 75-yard TD pass to Collins on the Texans' first play from scrimmage and included an extended third quarter and a do-over play in the second half.
But after Taylor’s 49-yard TD run and a nifty 2-point conversion with Minshew faking a handoff before backing up and floating a pass to Mo Alie-Cox early in the third quarter, the game swung on Colts coach Shane Steichen gambling on Matt Gay's 57-yard field goal that hit the right upright.
Houston quickly moved into scoring position and took a 17-14 lead on Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 51-yarder with 3:29 to go in the third.
Indy tied it on Gay’s 35-yard field goal on the ensuing drive, but Stroud responded with a 12-play, 73-yard drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock and ended with Singletary’s 3-yard TD run.
STRANGE NIGHT
The Colts thought they would open the fourth quarter facing third-and-1 from the Houston 24, but Steichen challenged the call. When the challenge resulted in a first down, the refs put 45 seconds back on the clock and the players, who had just changed ends, had down field again for one more play to finish the third quarter. Then they changed ends again after the play.
UP NEXT
Texans: Will wait to see if Jacksonville wins or loses before finding out who and where it plays next weekend.
Colts: Head into the offseason looking to take another big step forward next season.
First quarter highlights
The Colts got on the board first on the opening drive with a field goal. But it didn't take long for Houston to take the lead. On their first offensive play, CJ Stroud hit NIco Collins for a 75-yard touchdown pass.
The Texans defense held Indy to a 3-and-out on the next series and in the process, set a new franchise record.
Houston would add to their lead inside the two-minute warning when Stroud hit Beck for the score.
The Colts would add a field goal to make it a one-score game at 14-6 before halftime.
Second half highlights
The Texans got the ball to start the second half, but had to punt it away. The Colts then tied it up on a Jonathan Taylor 49-yard TD run and a two-point conversion.
Ka'imi Fairbairn hit a 51-yard field goal to give Houston the lead back, but the Colts added a field goal of their own to tie it at 17 in the fourth quarter.
Houston took the lead on this Singletary touchdown run, but Fairbairn missed the extra point for a six-point lead.
The Colts were driving for the potential game-winning score, but stalled on fourth down deep in Texans territory, turning the ball over to Houston with under a minute left.
TEXANS PLAYER TO WATCH: DE Will Anderson Jr. is expected to play despite dealing with an ankle injury. The third overall pick in the draft returned last week after missing two games with the injury and still had two sacks despite playing limited snaps. His seven sacks this season are a franchise record for a rookie.
COLTS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Gardner Minshew. He already has won a career-best seven games this season. Securing No. 8, and earning a playoff berth, would give Minshew a new status around Indy. To do it, he'll need to limit the turnovers and needs to take advantage of a pass defense that allows 240.4 yards per game.
KEY MATCHUP: Stroud vs. Colts pass defense. The first indication of Stroud's incredible season came in the first meeting in Week 2. Despite getting sacked six times, Stroud went 30 of 47 with 384 yards and two TDs. He's been good in the 12 games since, getting sacked 25 times while throwing just five interceptions. With a young and potentially short-handed secondary and a strong pass rush, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley must find ways to make Stroud uncomfortable.
KEY INJURIES: DE Jonathan Greenard leads Houston with a career-high 12½ sacks, but could miss his second straight game with an injured ankle. LT Laremy Tunsil is expected to play despite leaving Sunday's game and missing practice this week an injured groin. WR Noah Brown has missed practice this week with a back injury. ... It's unclear whether the Colts will have CB Kenny Moore II (back) and No. 2 RB Zack Moss (right forearm). Both were inactive last week. C Ryan Kelly (ankle) and LG Quenton Nelson (ankle) also were on this week's injury report.
SERIES NOTES: Indy has won five of the past seven in this series with the teams also playing to one tie. ... Houston's lone win during that span came in last year's season finale and was the franchise's fourth victory in Indy. ... These teams entered their previous matchup with Stroud, Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson and first-year coaches Shane Steichen and DeMeco Ryans all seeking their first career wins. ... The Colts are chasing a 13th season sweep of the Texans. There have been seven splits among these AFC South foes since Houston's inaugural season in 2002. ... The Texans and Colts played one playoff game with Indy winning 21-7 in January 2019 at Houston.
STATS AND STUFF: The winner clinches a playoff berth and will win the AFC South — if Jacksonville loses. A loss ends one team's season. ... Houston moved into the playoff race by winning six of its past nine following a loss at Carolina. It is 3-4 on the road this season. ... Houston most recently made the postseason in 2019. … This is the first time the Texans have not played in the early Sunday time slot since Week 9 in 2022. … The Texans are 4-1 all time in Saturday games. ... Houston held Tennessee to 1 of 12 on third down and had its third six-sack game of the season last week. … The Texans have tied the franchise's single-season sacks record (45). … Rookie QB C.J. Stroud has 21 TD passes and just five interceptions. He needs 156 yards to reach 4,000. … WR Nico Collins (1,022 yards) is the fourth player in team history with a 1,000-yard season. … DT Sheldon Rankins scored the first touchdown of his career on a 13-yard fumble return last week. … DE Jerry Hughes, who was drafted by the Colts, had a sack and forced a fumble last week, giving him 70 sacks and 19 forced fumbles in his career. ... Houston has alternated wins and losses each of the past seven weeks while Indy has alternated wins and losses each of the past five weeks. Both teams won last week. ... The Colts have won six of their past eight, including three straight home games to improve to 4-4 on their home turf. ... Another victory would make Steichen the fifth consecutive first-year, non-interim coach to lead Indy into the postseason. The others are Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, Chuck Pagano and Frank Reich. ... Indy is 6-2 in one-possession games this season, giving it the league's second-best winning percentage at .750. ... Minshew went 19 of 23 with 171 yards and one TD pass in relief of the injured Richardson at Houston. ... Colts RB Jonathan Taylor has rushed for five TDs in his past four games and had a season-high 96 yards in last weekend's victory. ... WR Michael Pittman Jr. needs eight catches to go from sixth to third on the franchise's single-season reception list, leapfrogging his coach, Reggie Wayne, and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison. Pittman has caught a career-high 104 passes this season. ... WR Josh Downs needs one catch to break Indy's single-season rookie record (Bill Brooks, 65 in 1986). ... The Colts are fifth in the NFL with a franchise-record 49 sacks.