The Texans had their chances. But a handful of errors led to a 30-23 defeat in Indianapolis.
They limited a Colts offense that came into the game averaging 162 rushing yards on the ground, to just 62. Deshaun Watson completed 68 percent of his passes for 308 yards. The defense hit JacobyDeAndre Hopkins and Kenny Stills each finished with over 100 yards receiving.
"A lot of self-inflicted things," head coach Bill O'Brien said. "A lot of things that we've got to clean up. We've got to coach it better. Just a lot of things to go back to work on."
The Texans were penalized 10 times for 54 yards at Lucas Oil Stadium. Six of those 10 came on third or fourth down, which allowed the Colts offense a second chance, or pushed the Texans offense back further in a critical situation.
"It's obviously frustrating," defensive end J.J. Watt said of the loss. "We gave up five first downs on penalties. We've got to be better."
Indianapolis also came up with a pair of takeaways, while the Texans could only muster one. The Colts didn't score off either Texans turnover, while Houston kicked a field goal after recovering a fumble at the Indianapolis 4-yard line.
Despite the miscues, and a few chances to capitalize, Watson remained optimistic.
"I'm going to keep my composure," Watson said. "It's a long season. We've got to take our game to another level, get back to the drawing board and get ready for the Raiders."
O'Brien reiterated that sentiment.
"We just need to get back to work," O'Brien said. "We've got a lot of football left to play. Give the Colts credit: they did a good job. We didn't play our best."
The Texans return to Houston, and will host Oakland next Sunday. Kickoff at NRG Stadium is set for 3 p.m. CT.
Houston Texans take on the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium for the seventh game of the 2019 NFL season.
