TEXANS TAKEAWAYS

Most exciting standouts from Houston Texans slugfest victory over Colts

Most exciting standouts from Houston Texans slugfest victory over Colts
Texans defeat the Colts, 29-27. Composite Getty Image.

Stefon Diggs caught two touchdown passes and Joe Mixon rushed for 159 yards and another score Sunday to help the Houston Texans close out a 29-27 victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

Houston (1-0) won its second straight road game in the series for the first time in franchise history and its ninth straight road game in division play.

The Colts (0-1), meanwhile, extended the NFL's longest active opening day winless streak to 11 despite getting two TD passes of more than 50 yards from Anthony Richardson, who also ran for a late score.

He was 9 of 19 with 212 yards and one interception and, ran six times for 56 yards including a 3-yard scoring run with 2:14 left to trim the deficit to 29-27.

The Texans, meanwhile, leaned heavily on Mixon's 30 carries to wear down a defense that spent 40 minutes on the field. Ka'imi Fairbairn also made three field goals from 50 or more yards.

C.J. Stroud, last year's AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, finished 24 of 32 with 234 yards and the two TD passes. Diggs caught six passes for 33 yards and Nico Collins had six catches for 117 yards.

But Houston controlled most of the game.

Just three plays after Fairbairn opened the scoring with a 51-yard field goal, Richardson launched a perfect 60-yard TD pass to a wide-open Alex Pierce for a 7-3 lead.

Fairbairn made a 50-yard field goal before Diggs gave the Texans a 12-7 cushion with his first score, a 9-yard catch. Fairbairn started the second half with another 51-yard field goal.

The Colts then capitalized on a blocked punt with Jonathan Taylor's 5-yard TD run, but a failed 2-point conversion left Indy in a 15-13 hole.

Mixon responded with a 3-yard TD run, one play after a defensive holding call erased a Colts interception.

Richardson connected with Ashton Dulin on a 54-yard score to make it 22-20, Diggs' 2-yard TD catch on fourth-and-goal with 4:42 left essentially sealed it. Richardson's score got the Colts within two, but they didn't try an onside kick and the weary defense couldn't get off the field again.

Strange ending

The first half ended on an unusual note with the officials erasing a spike that stopped the clock with 5 seconds to go so they could review whether Dalton Schultz's 7-yard reception was actually a catch.

After determining it was a catch, referee John Hussey announced the clock would be set to 15 seconds — prompting the Colts to call timeout. Before play resumed, Hussey “apologized for the confusion,” apparently rescinded the timeout, enforced a 10-second runoff for the review to put the clock at 5 seconds and started it on his signal. But the Texans didn't have their field goal team on the field and time expired before the ball was snapped.

“It's on us on the sideline,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We've got to be better.”

Turf trouble

Indianapolis installed new turf during the offseason and both teams struggled to stay upright. Stroud slipped on two consecutive plays on the Texans first series and when Colts rookie Adonai Mitchell slipped on a screen pass in the first half, it messed up the timing. And Kylen Granson's bad footing led to Calen Bullock's interception at the Texans 8-yard line late in the first half.

Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts to the game live on YouTube!

Up next

Texans: Host Chicago next Sunday night.

Colts: Visit Green Bay next Sunday.

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The Angels beat the Astros, 4-1. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.

Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.

The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.

Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.

Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.

Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.

Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.

Key moment

Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.

Key Stat

Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.

Up next

Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.

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