HOUSTON (with SportsRadio 610) – While T.Y. Hilton has called NRG Stadium his second home, Andrew Luck owned the stadium in his former hometown as the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Houston Texans, 21-7, on Saturday in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
Luck finished the game with 19-of-32 passing for 222 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Luck picked apart the Texans' secondary in the first half, throwing for 191 yards as the Colts built a 21-0 lead.
Marlon Mack had a career-high 148 yards rushing and a touchdown on a day the Colts finished with 200 yards rushing. Luck and the Colts' offense converted on nine of 13 of their third downs, and didn't have to punt until the third quarter.
"There were some really effective runs early in the game," Luck said. "And then the way we finished the game, I'm proud of the guys up front. It's not easy to run the ball on that defense. It's a really good defense with a lot of good players, but we made the most of it and I'm proud of all the guys."
The Texans, champions of the AFC South, managed just one score, early in the fourth quarter.
Deshaun Watson was sacked three times and hit eight more times in a disappointing playoff debut. He finished with 235 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception.
"Just a lack of execution on our part," Watson said. "We didn't make plays. I didn't make plays. Communication was a little off. You just got to give the Colts the credit."
Texans star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins revealed that he suffered a grade-3 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder in the first half. An AC joint sprain is considered a shoulder separation. Hopkins caught five passes for 37 yards.
Hopkins reportedly needed help putting on his shirt after the game and could not shake hands with his right hand. When asked how tough it was to play in the second half, Hopkins was honest: "Difficult, very difficult, but I had to be there for my team."
With the victory, the Colts move on to the Divisional round to face the No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
With AP
