Colts fall to Texans in crucial AFC South game

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 27: Houston Texans defensive end Dylan Horton (92) tackles Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (1) on the punt return in the second quarter during the NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans on October 27, 2024 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

HOUSTON (WISH) — The Colts lost to the Texans in Houston, 23-20, in a pivotal AFC South matchup.

Anthony Richardson struggled, completing just 10 of his 32 pass attempts.

“I feel like I’m playing within the game,” Richardson said. “I’m making plays and just doing what I’m supposed to do, but like I said at the end of the day, execution has to be better from both ends, whether it’s me delivering the ball to the wideouts and them catching it, we just got to execute at the end of the day because we know what we can do. We just got to do it.”

Anthony Richardson threw for 175 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

“Ya, we keep working through the process,” Shane Steichen said. “It’s a process. We keep grinding through it. We do it together. It’s a team game. We grind through those things, and we get it figured out.”

This loss drops the Colts to 4-4 on the season and two games behind the Texans in the AFC South standings.

“We just fell short of a game we knew we needed to win, and it falls on all of us,” DeForest Buckner said. “It falls on me. I didn’t play my best game today, so we got to go back and we got to look at all the things we did wrong and we have to correct it.”

“We just fell short of a game we knew we needed to win, and it falls on all of us,” Michael Pittman Jr. said. “It falls on me. I didn’t play my best game today, so we got to go back and we got to look at all the things we did wrong and we have to correct it.”

Richardson pulled himself out of the game for one play late in the fourth quarter. He talked about why he did that after the game.

“Tired,” Richardson said. “I a’int going to lie. That was a lot of running right there that I did, and I don’t think I was going to be able to go that next play, so I just needed a break right there.”

Jonathan Taylor rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown in his return from injury.

The Colts take on the Vikings next week at 8:20 p.m.