Houston is officially 0-3 for the second straight season, and coach DeMeco Ryans is struggling to find answers after Sunday’s brutal 19-17 loss to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. This time, the critical error wasn’t a player mistake; it was the head coach’s own call that may have cost his team its first win.
The Play That Blew It and the History Against Them
It didn’t have to go down like this, not one bit. With just five minutes left in the game, the Houston defense actually stepped up big time. Will Anderson Jr. stripped Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, giving the ball back to Houston’s offense at their own 45-yard line. That’s a huge momentum swing, a chance to grab the lead and escape Indianapolis with a victory. Instead, they walked away with a 19-17 loss to the Colts, making it their first defeat at Lucas Oil Stadium since 2021.
Now, Ryans’ squad is 0-3, and the stakes are absolutely massive. Only seven teams in NFL history have ever made the playoffs after starting with three straight losses. Think about that for a second. While Houston somehow pulled off that miracle last season, expecting them to catch lightning in a bottle twice in two years feels totally unreasonable, frankly. It would be uncharted territory for Ryans, who is now facing the very real danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in his tenure. He even admitted it, saying, “0-3 is where we are right now. The only way we can do anything about it is to go through it. We’re going through it right now, it’s adversity, it happens. For me, it starts with me.”
How the Game Played Out: A Slow Burn to a Crushing Finish
The Colts got on the board first in the second quarter with K. Allen snagging a 6-yard pass from Jones, extending a drive that saw Jones hit Downs for 18 yards twice. Houston answered back when Stroud connected with Moreau for a 1-yard touchdown pass, cutting the lead to 10-7. But Indianapolis kicked a 58-yard field goal from Shrader to go up 13-7 before halftime.
The fourth quarter saw Shrader nail another 37-yard field goal for the Colts after a lengthy 15-play drive, putting them up 19-17. This was after a back-and-forth earlier in the game. In the first quarter, Shrader had put the Colts on the board with a 39-yard field goal after a drive where Jones connected with Warren and Downs. The final score of 19-17 just screams “missed opportunity” when you consider that late defensive turnover. With injuries piling up and holes across the roster, Houston is reeling right now. This isn’t just a loss, it’s a gut punch that could define their entire season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply