OVERALL
The Texans’ 23-19 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium clinched their first playoff berth since 2019. They did everything well except stop the run, but they were able to overcome Jonathan Taylor’s 188-yard performance by scoring three touchdowns and stopping the Colts on fourth-and-1 at their 15-yard line with 1:03 left. It was a tremendous victory for DeMeco Ryans and his players and coaches, who helped win for the fifth time in nine games at Indianapolis.
Grade: A
QUARTERBACK
In the biggest game of his incredible rookie season, C.J. Stroud was cool and confident. He ran the offense like a seasoned veteran. He completed 20-of-26 (76.9 percent) for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t have a turnover. His rating was 134.1. He was sacked twice by the defense that sacked him a season-high six times in the second game of the season. He also ran three times for 20 yards. Stroud averaged 10.2 yards per attempt. An overall impressive performance by Stroud, who should have secured being voted NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Grade: A-plus
RUNNING BACKS
Devin Singletary ran 24 times for 63 yards, a 2.6-yard average. The Colts have an outstanding defensive line, and they stuffed the run for most of the game. Singletary scored on a 3-yard run. Because punter Cam Johnston took a 23-yard loss on a safety at the end of the game, the Texans finished with 60 yards rushing and a 2.1-yard average. Subtract Johnston’s intentional safety, and they averaged 3.1 a carry. No back other than Singletary carried the ball.
Grade: C-minus
WIDE RECEIVERS
Nico Collins put on an extraordinary performance with nine catches for 195 yards and a 75-yard touchdown. He averaged 21.7 yards. He and Stroud were magnificent together. With Noah Brown and Robert Woods missing the game, the Colts should have given Collins more attention, especially after he torched them for the 75-yard touchdown on the Texans’ first play. The other wideouts combined for two catches and 11 yards.
Grade: A-plus
TIGHT ENDS
Dalton Schultz contributed five catches and 42 yards. Eric Saubert caught one pass for 5 yards. Andrew Beck is a fullback who plays like a tight end. He caught an 8-yard touchdown pass that caught the Colts totally off guard by leaving him wide open in the end zone.
Grade: C-plus
OFFENSIVE LINE
The pass protection was mostly terrific for the second game in a row. C.J. Stroud was sacked two times, including once on an untouched blitz. Stroud had enough time to throw, and he took advantage of the splendid protection. He was knocked down four times. As for the run blocking, the Texans struggled against one of the NFL’s best defensive lines.
Grade: B-minus
DEFENSIVE LINE
With Jonathan Greenard missing another game, Will Anderson Jr. barely able to play and Jerry Hughes going out, it’s not surprising the linemen got steamrolled by the Colts’ offensive linemen. After playing outstanding run defense this season, especially over the last 12 games, the Texans got plastered for 227 yards, including 188 by Jonathan Taylor. In the fourth quarter, the run defense was able to recover, allowing only 25 yards on 11 carries, a 2.3 average. The linemen had no sacks and none had more than one tackle for loss.
Grade: D
LINEBACKERS
The linebackers contributed to the horrendous run defense in the first three quarters. Blake Cashman, who missed a tackle on Jonathan Taylor’s 49-yard touchdown run, led the defense with 13 tackles. Christian Harris had 12 tackles and the team’s only sack. When they dropped into coverage, they did well.
Grade: F-plus
DEFENSIVE BACKS
The secondary played a great game, and it wasn’t because of the pass rush. The defensive backs limited Michael Pittman to five catches for 44 yards, including two for 23 after the Colts’ first series. Alec Pierce was targeted four times but had no catches. The tight ends weren’t a factor. Also, the defensive backs spent too much time trying to tackle Jonathan Taylor when he exploded through the line. Jalen Pitre had seven tackles to lead the defensive backs.
Grade: A-minus
SPECIAL TEAMS
Another impressive performance other than Ka’imi Fairbairn missing his first extra point of the season. He connected on a 51-yard field goal. Cam Johnston averaged 49.7 gross yards and a 45.5-yard net. He put four inside the 20, including one punt that was downed at the Colts’ 1. Desmond King averaged 14 yards on punt returns, and Dameon Pierce returned a kickoff 30 yards. Coverage was above average, as usual. DeMeco Ryans had Johnston take an intentional safety that used up all but one second on the clock.
Grade: A
COACHING
DeMeco Ryans and his coordinators – Bobby Slowik (offense), Matt Burke (defense) and Frank Ross (special teams) – as well as all the position coaches and their assistants have done an exceptional job leading what was supposed to be one of the worst teams in the NFL to becoming one of the best. Winning a pressure-packed game like Saturday night is another example of the excellent job they’ve done.
Grade: A-plus
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Monday, Thursday and Sunday on Texans Radio, also on SportsRadio 610. He writes five columns a week and does three Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.