HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- The Texans seemed poised to tie Sunday's game against the Colts.
It was 2nd and goal inside the Colts' 2-yard-line, the Texans down 26-20 with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter.
Deshaun Watson lined up in the shotgun formation, but the snap was low and away. Watson was unable to catch the ball, or fall on it.
Colts linebacker Anthony Walker recovered the ball, effectively ending the game.
It was zone read play, and Watson said after the game they had gone back and forth on whether to pass or run. The Texans did not want to leave too much time on the clock for the Colts' offense to respond.
The plan was to hand the ball off to David Johnson.
But the situation never reached that point.
"I should've just caught the ball," said Watson, who spent some time sitting on the bench with a towel over his head after the game. "I know it a little low and hot, but for me, I take big pride in just catching every snap regardless of where it is or how fast it is."
Watson took the blame, though it was center Nick Martin who snapped it low.
The play negated a strong effort by the Texans, who outgained the Colts 398-371 yards and saw big-time performances from wide receivers Keke Coutee and Chad Hansen.
Just a few weeks ago, neither player was a factor in the Texans' offense, with Coutee a frequent healthy scratch and Hansen on the team's practice squad.
Injuries to Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills (who has since been waived) and the suspension of Will Fuller put both Coutee and Hansen in the spotlight.
Coutee finished the game with a team-high eight catches for 141 yards. He was targeted nine times, the most of any Texans receiver, though Brandin Cooks was targeted eight times and left the game temporarily to be evaluated for a concussion.
Hansen had 101 yards on five catches and was targeted seven times by Watson.
The performances boosted the confidence the Texans already had in these players, but the loss leaves a sour taste.
Once again, the Texans come up short.
J.J. Watt expressed his frustration with how the game ended, but was careful not to point the finger at the offense.
"Our offense has done a great job many times in bailing us out on defense," Watt said. "The situations have been flipped many times. So I know those guys feel bad about what happened, obviously, wish they could have it back. I know how that feels. We all wish we had that win, obviously."
