No game had more obvious consequences in NFL Week 18 than the Houston Texans' matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.
The winner makes the playoffs. The losing season is over.
The two teams' records are currently 9-7, two-thirds of a three-way tie atop the AFC South with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars can clinch the division with a win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, or the winner of Texans-Colts will clinch the division as well.
The Texans enter the game as slight favorites, largely due to the presence of freshman quarterback CJ Stroud, who is currently the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite. 2023 No. 2 pick has looked electric all season, but missed two games last month with a concussion.
No. The Colts were supposed to have their own rookie quarterback with Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 pick, but he's gone since October. Gardner Minshew has led the team since then, winning six of their last eight games.
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Here's Frank Schwab's recap of all of this.
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CJ Stroud has his no. Entered the home of a division rival in a win-and-in game without receivers 2 and 3 and went 20-of-26 for 264 yards with two TDs and no picks. He is 22 years old.
Collins was fantastic (195 yards) and the Texans' O-line kept him off the ground, but that's a good thing.
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In the ballgame, the Texans won 23-19 and advanced to the playoffs in their first season under head coach DiMeco Ryans and CJ Strode. They clinched the division tomorrow with a loss to the Jaguars.
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The Texans take over on defense and burn the clock down for one second. If they stop to win the game they will take a free kick. 23-19 Texans
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The Colts get a stop, but they don't get the ball for more than 7 seconds.
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The Colts use both of their timeouts to keep the clock at 54 seconds on 3rd and 6.
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Turnover on downs
Minshoo throws behind Tyler Goodson, who fails to reel it in. An incompletion gives the Texans the ball with 1:03 left. The Colts have two timeouts.
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The Colts now have 4th-and-1 in the red zone with less than 90 seconds left.
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The Colts get it! It was their first third-down conversion in their 10th attempt.
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With Jonathan Taylor running up the middle, we've got a close call on third down. Officials called it a first down, but they're looking again.
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Texans 11 penalties, 69 yards.
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) January 7, 2024
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The Colts respond with a rookie of their own. Josh Towns quickly reached midfield with a 28-yard catch and run.
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Jonathan Taylor was a doubt with an ankle injury, but he is now back on the field.
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Touchdown Texans
Devin Singletary punched it in, but Kaimi Fairbairn missed her first XP of the season to keep the score at 23-17. It's hard to overstate what a great driver the Strut is.
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Another pass, another completion to Collins, this time a 23-yarder. He also drew a horse collar to move the ball inside
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#colts RB Jonathan Taylor's injury has been transferred from a heel to an ankle and is doubtful to return.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) January 7, 2024
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