Sanchez returns, Colts claim a win
Indy recovers late fumble to beat Texans, local standout comes back from surgery
INDIANAPOLIS » Philip Rivers threw a late, tiebreaking touchdown to Zach Pascal and the Indianapolis Colts defense recovered a fumble in the end zone with 19 seconds left Sunday to seal a 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans.
Indy (10- 4) has won three straight to retain a share of the AFC South lead with Tennessee, winners over Detroit. Houston (4-10) has lost three straight and five of six in this series.
The Colts won this one in similar fashion to the teams’ meeting two weeks ago. The Texans had a chance to win that one in the final minute but Indy jumped on a bad snap to quarterback Deshaun Watson inside the red zone.
This time, Pascal caught a pass in the f lat, turned up the field and stretched his arms across the goal line while hitting the pylon to give Indy a 2720 lead with 1:47 to go.
Rivers was 22 of 28 with 228 yards and two scores. Jonathan Taylor had 16 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Watson was 33 of 41 with 373 yards and two touchdowns. Coutee had five catches for 53 yards and one score before the fumble, and David Johnson had 11 receptions for 106 yards.
HE’S BACK » Indianapolis was thrilled to have punter Rigoberto Sanchez back in action less than three weeks after he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. Sanchez, the former Hamilton High and Butte College standout, wants to keep details about the location private.
He couldn’t contain his excitement, either. As the last player introduced before the game, he pumped his arms and was blowing kisses to the crowd.
“It was really an electric moment out there,” Sanchez said.
He initially became con
cerned when he struggled warming up to do kickoff duty at practice Nov. 25. He was advised to undergo an MRI, which detected the tumor. Sanchez punted in that week’s game, a loss to Tennessee. The next day he announced he was having surgery Dec. 1.
RAVENS 40, JAGUARS 14 » Baltimore built a 26-point halftime lead against helpless Jacksonville and rolled to a victory that boosted their playoff chances and extended the Jaguars’ losing streak to 13 games.
Former Orland High standout and Jaguars placekicker Aldrick Rosas went 2-for-2 on extra points.
DOLPHINS 22, PATRIOTS 12 » Undrafted rookie Salvon Ahmed and veteran Matt Breida combined for 208 yards rushing to lead Miami to a victory over New England, which was eliminated from playoff contention, ending the Patriots’ NFL-record run of 11 consecutive postseason appearances.
BUCCANEERS 31, FALCONS 27 » Rallying Tampa Bay from a pair of 17-point deficits, Tom Brady recreated his Super Bowl miracle by leading the Buccaneers on five straight scoring drives in the second half for a victory over the stunned Falcons.
SEAHAWKS 20, WASHINGTON 15 » Russell Wilson and the Seahawks built a big lead, and Seattle’s suddenly opportunistic defense held on to beat Washington and clinch a playoff spot.
CHIEFS 32, SAINTS 29 » Patrick Mahomes had his full repertoire of sidearm throws, basketballstyle push passes and underhanded flips on display while passing for 254 yards and three touchdowns, and Kansas City extended its winning streak to nine games.
CARDINALS 33, EAGLES 26
» Kyler Murray threw for a career-high 406 yards, DeAndre Hopkins had 169 yards receiving and a stellar touchdown catch, and Arizona improved its position in the playoff race by beating Philadelphia.
JETS 23, RAMS 20 » Sam Darnold passed for 207 yards and New York finally earned the first victory of its miserable season, holding on for a win that erased the possibility of the third winless 16-game season in NFL history.
TITANS 46, LIONS 25 » Ryan Tannehill ran for two touchdowns and threw three more, and Derrick Henry ran for 147 yards and a score to move Tennessee closer to clinching its third playoff berth in four seasons as it routed Detroit.
BEARS 33, VIKINGS 27 » David Montgomery rushed for a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns and Chicago trampled Minnesota’s depleted defense and hung on for a victory to stay in the hunt for the expanded playoffs.
BROWNS 20, GIANTS 6 » Baker Mayfield led two 95yard touchdown drives and Cleveland moved closer to ending its 17-year playoff drought with a victory over New York.