Tough luck for Texans
Colts QB outplays Watson, leads way in wild-card victory
HOUSTON — Andrew Luck threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, and the Colts raced out to a big lead and cruised to a 21-7 win over the Texans in a wild-card playoff game Saturday.
Luck put on a show in his hometown, throwing for 191 yards and two touchdowns before halftime to help the Colts build a 21-0 lead.
The Colts advance to face the top-seeded Chiefs in the divisional round next weekend.
The Texans, who overcame an 0-3 start to win the AFC South, gave up too many big plays and couldn’t get anything going on offense in the first half as they fell into the huge hole.
Deshaun Watson, who was sacked an NFL-leading 62 times in the regular season, was sacked three times and hit eight more times in a disappointing playoff debut. He finished with 235 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception.
The Colts, who opened the season 1-5, continued an impressive run by winning their fifth straight and for the 10th time in 11 games. Saturday was their first playoff appearance since the AFC championship game loss at New England in the “Deflategate” game in the 2014 season.
It was another good game in a splendid season for Luck, who grew up in a suburb of Houston. He threw for 4,593 yards and 39 touchdowns in the regular season after missing all of 2017 with a shoulder injury.
The Texans didn’t score until rookie Keke Coutee grabbed a 6-yard touchdown pass to cap a 16-play, 89-yard drive that included a fourth-down conversion that cut it to 21-7 with about 11 minutes left.
The Texans led the NFL with nine comeback wins this season, but their attempt at a rally ended on their next possession when Watson’s pass on fourthand-10 from the Colts 24 fell short with about four minutes left.
Luck threw for 863 yards with six touchdowns as the teams split two meetings in the regular season. He picked up right where he left off in this one when he found Eric Ebron for a 6-yard touchdown on their first drive.