ONE LAST SETBACK
Texans wrap up season with 22-13 loss in Indianapolis, finish last in AFC South with 4-12 record
Dec 31, 2017, 2:58 pm
Alfred Blue and the Texans could not muster any offense in the second half. Houstontexans.com
In the battle for last place in the AFC South, the Colts won 22-13 in Indianapolis; putting the Texans in the bottom of the divisional barrel. They finish a disappointing, injury plagued season 4-12.
Congratulations are in order for Frank Gore who finished the day with one hundred yards on the ground. He became the fifth player in NFL history to rush for more than 14,000 yards in a career.
Fans knew it was going to be rough for the Texans, who were without their biggest offensive weapon DeAndre Hopkins for the first time in his career. On the first drive, they lost their second-best receiver Will Fuller with a knee injury. That left them with Braxton Miller, Chris Thompson and Cobi Hamilton as the remaining wide receivers. The primary ball carrier for the Texans was Alfred Blue who had eighteen carries against Lamar Miller's eight.
Early on it looked good but not great for the Texans offense. Yates led them to scoring drives on their first three possessions of the game and a 13-7 halftime lead. He did it with a good balance of run and pass. He went 12 of 16 for 117 yards through the air while Blue carried the ball fourteen times for 31 yards and a touchdown. The two field goals by Ka'imi Fairbairn from 52 and 46 yards were the difference at the break.
The second half went more the way of the Colts. It started with an onside kick that Indianapolis failed to recover, but they forced a three and out to limit any damage. They responded with a touchdown by Marlon Mack for a one point lead. Their defense followed later with a safety on Tom Savage after the Texans offensive line looked confused and allowed a free rusher.
From there it was about who could get just the few more points needed to secure the victory. The Colts got a field goal from Adam Vinatieri while the Texans got shut down. Their offense got stopped time after time and they failed to score in the second half.
No one knows what will happen in the offseason, but the coach and the GM for the Texans will be on the hot seat. They finished a season that started with some promise with a terrible record. They would have had a top-five pick in the draft but those were given to the Browns who end the season with the number one overall pick as well. There is a lot to be done but a lot to look forward to in 2018 when star players return healthy.
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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.