Where this loss ranks on the pain meter of tough ones to take in the history of the franchise should be debated another time.

Let's just say it hurts a lot and largely because the Texans were less than two yards away from a late lead that could have held up and create a win we would have talked about for a long time.

And before you shout at your screen that the Texans are a below .500 team, trust me, they have the goods to be better and have enough opportunities this month to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are much better than the rough start to 2020 would indicate.

This one especially stings because you got outstanding second half play from the defense, pitching a shutout after intermission and getting the ball back time and time again for the offense to take the lead.

It also smarts because on a day where you took the field knowing Will Fuller V was out for the year you got 100+ yard days out of Keke Coutee and Chad Hansen, who was making his Texans debut.

In other words, the team worked like crazy all afternoon to have the opportunity to punch it in from inside the two yard line only to see the ball scoot away from Deshaun Watson and into the arms of Anthony Walker to enable the Colts to kill the clock.

We'll never know what would have happened if the Texans had executed the snap cleanly. But the momentum was in their favor and they were in point blank range.

As difficult as the ending is to take, we shouldn't forget how well the Texans fought back to have their chance after falling behind 21-10 in the first half. T.Y. Hilton was his usual menacing self with 110 yards on 8 catches, but he was basically a non-factor in the second half. The Colts did switch up their plans a bit but credit Houston for hanging in there.

Watson was terrific, as usual. Indy put together a ferocious pass rush but he dealt with it and made enough escapes and big plays keep the Texans within striking distance.

At the end of the day though, the Texans didn't score after intermission, obviously a significant factor.

This one might be remembered more than the other losses of 2020, because of the opponent and the way in which it happened. But it's yet another one that's a one score defeat – like Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Cleveland.

This is a big part of the story of 2020; not being able to execute well enough in crunch time. Four games left. Four chances to win, improve the record and show that this team is better than the way it ended Sunday's game.