From the press box - 2:59 p.m.Game over. The Texans are now 5-6 and 1-15 all-time against the Colts. They lost this one 35-27 after leading 17-0 in the second quarter.
Kris Brown's onside kick attempt with 18 seconds left was knocked out of bounds by tight end Jacob Tamme, ending the Texans' hopes for a miracle. The fans still at the stadium sent a smattering of boos the Texans' way after the final whistle had blown.
Tune into Texans TV for live streaming press conferences from Reliant Stadium after the game.
From the press box - 2:57 p.m.The Texans scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Schaub to Jacoby Jones with 18 seconds remaining to make the score 35-27. The touchdown capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive that took 2:34.
The Texans will now line up for an onside kick. They have one timeout left.
From the press box - 2:49 p.m.With a 23-yard touchdown run by Chad Simpson, the Colts took a 35-20 lead with 2:52 remaining. Simpson broke through three would-be tacklers on his way straight up the middle for the score.
That touchdown came four plays after a fumble by Schaub gave the Colts the ball back at the Texans' 37-yard line with 4:35 on the clock. The Texans had driven past midfield to the Colts' 44-yard line, but things went south from there. Schaub threw a seven-yard pass to Davis, down to the Indy 37, but right tackle Eric Winston was flagged for holding. On first-and-20 from the Houston 46, Schaub threw an incomplete pass toward Anderson. He dropped back on the next play and was stripped by Robert Mathis. The ball was recovered by Raheem Brock at the Houston 37-yard line.
Last season, it was Mathis who stripped Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels late in the fourth quarter at Reliant Stadium. Manning then threw a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne to complete a 17-point Colts comeback - the same deficit that the Colts have come back from today.
We're now the two-minute warning. The Texans have a first down at their own 39-yard line. The stadium is nearly empty, a sign of how much this game has turned in the wrong direction for the Texans.
From the press box - 2:35 p.m.The Texans' 17-0 lead has turned into a 28-20 deficit. On the second play from scrimmage after the Colts' go-ahead touchdown, Schaub threw a pick-six to Colts linebacker Clint Session. Session jumped on a pass to the right intended for rookie tight end James Casey and returned it 27 yards into the end zone, untouched.
That's 14 points for the Colts in 15 seconds. It's deathly quiet in Reliant Stadium after a raucous atmosphere in the first half.
The Texans still can tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion. They trail by eight with 8:09 left.
From the press box - 2:31 p.m.Touchdown, Colts. Manning to Clark for six yards with 8:24 remaining in the game. Stover's point after put the Colts ahead 21-20, their first lead of the game.
Using their no-huddle offense, Manning and the Colts went 89 yards in seven plays on the scoring drive. It took only 2:50 off the clock.
After putting up 242 total yards in the first half, the Texans have only 52 in the second half. The Colts, who had 127 yards in the first half, have 179 in the second and have outscored the Texans 14-0 since intermission.
From the press box - 2:23 p.m. Four plays and a punt for the Texans. Their drive consisted, in order, of a 12-yard run by Brown, a one-yard run by Brown, a three-yard catch-and-run by Slaton and an incomplete pass from Schaub to David Anderson.
Turk sent off a 58-yard punt that Indy's T.J. Rushing returned seven yards to the Colts' 11-yard line with 11:14 left to play.
From the press box - 2:18 p.m.The Colts had a first-and-10 at the Houston 13-yard line, on the verge of perhaps taking the lead for the first time in the game. The Texans' defense came up with a stop and brought on the Colts' field goal team.
A field goal would have trimmed the Texans' lead to three, but Colts kicker Matt Stover pushed his 32-yard attempt wide right to keep the Texans' 20-14 lead intact with 13:26 left in the game.
Paid **attendance was just announced at 70,990. It's the 78th consecutive sellout at Reliant Stadium and the second-largest crowd in Texans history behind the Monday night game in Week 11.
**
From the press box - 2:11 p.m.* It's the end of the third quarter. The Texans are holding on to a 20-14 lead, but the Colts have the ball at the Houston 23-yard line facing second-and-nine. The Colts are in the midst of a nine-play, 53-yard drive that started at their own 35-yard line with 4:51 left in the third quarter.*
With three minutes left in the third, the Texans had the Colts in a fourth-and-one situation from the Indianapolis 44-yard line. The ball was about six inches shy of the first-down marker Manning handed off right to Addai - Cushing tripped him up in the backfield, but Addai broke his fall with his left hand, which kept his knees off the ground just long enough for him to pick up the first down with a two-yard gain.
From the press box - 2:01 p.m. The Texans limited the Colts to a four-play, 17-yard drive after Schaub's interception. Mario Williams sacked Manning on first-and-10 from the Indianapolis 32, and Dunta Robinson made a crucial open-field tackle on Dallas Clark after Clark gained six yards on third-and-14.
After a 59-yard punt and a four-yard return by Jacoby Jones, the Texans got the ball at their own 11-yard line. The Colts forced them into a three-and-out, and Matt Turk boomed a 48-yard punt to the Colts' 35-yard line. It was Turk's first punt of the day.
From the press box - 1:52 p.m.
After the touchdown, Andre' Davis' return went 19 yards to the Houston 14-yard line. Jeff Zgonina was flagged for holding, pinning the Texans at their own seven-yard line to start the next drive.
The Texans moved 25 yards to the 32-yard line with two first downs. Schaub then threw deep on a play-action pass, but his throw over the middle went well past Johnson and into the hands of Colts safety Antoine Bethea for an interception at the Indianapolis 17-yard line.
That gave the ball back to the Colts with a chance to take the lead with 9:09 left in the third quarter.
From the press box - 1:47 p.m. The Colts opened the second half with a touchdown, cutting the Texans' lead to 20-14 with 11:20 showing on the third-quarter clock. The Colts moved 80 yards in nine plays, but 43 of those yards came on a highly questionable pass interference call on Jacques Reeves.
On the third play of the Colts' drive, Manning heaved a deep pass over the middle for Garcon. Reeves was running stride-for-stride with the receiver, and the ball sailed three yards past them and was incomplete.
All of a sudden, the back judge, who had was only a few yards away from Reeves and Garcon with a clear view of both players, threw a penalty flag for pass interference. It was a 43-yard penalty that moved the Colts all the way from their own 38-yard line to the Texans' 19 just 53 seconds into the first half. The boos in Reliant Stadium were probably audible all the way down on the beaches of Galveston after that.Then, on third-and-goal from the eight, rookie cornerback Glover Quin was flagged for pass interfence in the end zone on a pass intended for Austin Collie. Quin had deflected the pass, which likely would have brought on a field goal attempt if not for the penalty call. Three few plays later, Manning hit Wayne for a four-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal with cornerback Dunta Robinson in coverage.
The Texans now have seven penalties for 97 yards today. The Colts have been penalized twice for 15 yards. Houston was penalized 13 times for 103 yards in Week 9 at Indianapolis.
From the press box - 1:32 p.m.* The Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm;/1259522934235/) band is performing on the field at halftime. Good showing, and they're getting a favorable response from the crowd.*
Here's a look at "Halftime by the numbers":
20-7: The score, in favor of the Texans 242-127: Total yards, in favor of the Texans 90-25: Rushing yards, in favor of the Texans 4.7: Yards per carry for the Texans 8: Carries for both Steve Slaton and Chris Brown, who combined for 81 rushing yards 152-102: Passing yards, in favor of the Texans 123.5: Passer rating for Texans quarterback Matt Schaub 79.9: Passer rating for Colts quarterback Peyton Manning
2: Interceptions thrown by Manning, one to Brian Cushing and one to Brice McCain 9: Interceptions thrown by Mannning in the first 10 games of this season 2: First-half field goals by Texans kicker Kris Brown, on two attempts 19:14-10:46: Time of possession, in favor of the Texans
The Colts will receive to start the second half.
From the press box - 1:25 p.m.
The Texans' 20-7 lead is intact at halftime. This is the Texans' largest ever halftime lead over the Colts, against whom they are 1-14 all-time.
Manning and the Colts got the ball at their own 19-yard line with 51 seconds remaning in the half. They had two timeouts. It took Manning only three passes and 34 seconds to get to the Indianapolis 45-yard line, but with one timeout left, Manning threw a pass that was intercepted by rookie cornerback Brice McCain at the Texans' 35-yard line.
Manning's pass, like the one intercepted by Cushing earlier, was intended for Wayne. It was the first interception of McCain's career. The pick gave the Texans possession with seven seconds remaining, and Schaub kneeled to bring the first half to a close.
I'll be back shortly with a statistical look at the game in "halftime by the numbers."
From the press box - 1:18 p.m.The Texans added to their lead with a 33-yard field goal by Kris Brown, his second of the game, with one minute left in the first half. Both of Brown's field goals were from within 35 yards, but his accuracy is definitely a good sign for the Texans and their fans after Brown's struggles in the past two games.
The Texans gained 65 yards on 11 plays on the scoring drive. Johnson made a spectacular eight-yard catch on the left sideline late in the drive. He planted his feet on the sideline at the Colts' 17-yard line and, with two hands completely outstretched, snared a high pass from Schaub and kept his feet inbounds.
Schaub and Johnson miscommunicated on a pass on third-and-one from the 15. Johnson abruptly stopped his route inside the five-yard line and did a comeback, but Schaub's pass went five or six yards past into the end zone for an incompletion.
From the press box - 1:11 p.m.At the two-minute warning, the Texans lead 17-7 and have the ball at the Indianapolis 31-yard line. It's second-and-seven.
Schaub picked up a first down with an elusive seven-yard scramble to the Houston 33-yard line. On the next play, he hit Walter for 18 yards near the left sideline. Walter was wide open on the play with two Colts secondary players biting on Johnson's deep route, leaving Walter all alone underneath him. Brown and Slaton have done the rest of the work since then with a combined three carries for 18 yards.
Colts defensive tackle Dan Muir was injured on the first play of the drive. No word yet on his status.
From the press box - 1:04 p.m. A Colts touchdown trimmed the Texans' lead to 17-7 with 5:46 left in the first half. Pierre Garcon made a nine-yard touchdown catch on third-and-four to cap a methodical eight-play, 64-yard drive.
Garcon got behind cornerback Jacques Reeves on the play. Manning's pass was a bit ahead of him, but Garcon extended his right arm to tip the ball to himself and make a one-handed catch in the middle of the end zone.
Manning threw for 47 yards on the drive. The Colts also gained 15 yards on a penalty on Smith for roughing the passer - Smith's hand made contact with Manning's helmet as he was trying to fight through a blocker at the Houston 42-yard line.
From the press box - 12:52 p.m.The score is now 17-0 after kicker Kris Brown made a 35-yard field goal with 10:49 left to play in the second quarter. That's got to be good for Brown's confidence - he was 2-of-5 over the last two games, with last-second misses that would have forced overtime in both games. The Texans have stood behind him throughout his struggles, stating their confidence that he will still make big kicks for the team this season.
The 23-yard scoring drive took eight plays and ran four minutes off the clock. Just before the field goal, the Texans had third-and-10 from the 17. Schaub threw a pass to the left for Johnson in the end zone, but it sailed incomplete to bring on the field goal team.
After a 12-yard return on the ensuing kickoff, the Colts will start their next drive at their own 26-yard line.
From the press box - 12:45 p.m.On the first play of the second quarter, rookie linebacker Brian Cushing intercepted Manning at the Colts' 45-yard line. Cushing returned it to the 10, but defensive end Antonio Smith was flagged for a personal foul, so the Texans got the ball at the Indy 29-yard line.
Smith hit Manning as he threw to help force the interception. Defensive tackle Amobi Okoye also was closing in on Manning from behind, while defensive end Mario Williams was coming around the edge with his sights on Manning as well. Manning's pass was intended for Reggie Wayne, but Cushing got his hands on it for his third interception of the season. Can you say defensive rookie of the year?
Three plays after the interception, Schaub rolled left and aired it out for Johnson in the end zone. Johnson made a leaping effort for the ball with cornerback Jerraud Powers in coverage and appeared to make the catch, but the ball came loose when he hit the ground. Texans coach Gary Kubiak challenged the ruling, but the officials maintained their original (a decision not warmly-received by the Reliant Stadium crowd). Kubiak is now 7-of-19 on challenges in his career.
From the press box - 12:35 p.m.
The first quarter is over with the score 14-0, Texans. The Colts will have the ball near midfield to start the second quarter.
That was the most points the Colts have given up in the first quarter all season. They entered this week with the league's number one scoring defense, allowing just 15.7 points per game.
Schaub was 8-of-8 for 99 passing yards and a touchdown in the first quarter. The Texans outgained Indy 150-43.
From the press box - 12:28 p.m.Touchdown, Chris Brown (that's got a nice ring to it), and it's 14-0 Texans with 2:10 left in the first quarter. The Texans' offense is rolling today. At this point of the game, the Texans have outgained the Colts 150-1 in total yards.
This scoring drive belonged to the Texans' running backs, especially Brown. He gained 27 yards on four touches, which included three carries and one catch. Slaton ran twice late in the drive for 17 yards. The only other play was a 22-yard pass from Schaub to Kevin Walter down to the Colts' 28-yard line.
It was a seven-play, 66-yard drive that took 3:46 off the clock. Brown's touchdown was his second of the season and the 18th of his career.
From the press box - 12:20 p.m.Quick punt forced by the Texans' defense. They allowed the Colts one first down, then didn't give up another yard. On the contrary, they knocked the Colts back 10 yards before forcing a punt. First, cornerback Dunta Robinson fought off a blocker on first down to tackle Joseph Addai for a two-yard loss.
After an incomplete pass, rookie defensive end Connor Barwin sacked Peyton Manning for a loss of eight on third down. It was the second sack of Barwin's career, and the former Cincinnati Bearcat celebrated at the Indianapolis 24-yard line with a punching bag move. Barwin did boxing training this offseason before joining the Texans during the summer.
From the press box - 12:12 p.m.The Texans had yet to score on an opening drive this season - until today. Quarterback Matt Schaub hit fullback Vonta Leach for a seven-yard touchdown pass on first-and-goal to put the Texans up 7-0 on the Colts with 8:25 left in the first quarter at Reliant Stadium. The Texans moved the ball 79 yards in 11 plays for the score.
Schaub was 6-of-6 for 65 yards on the drive. The touchdown pass was his 20th of the season and 50th of his career.
Steve Slaton got the start at running back and ran three times for nine yards on the drive, picking up a first down on a two-yard run early on. Running back Chris Brown entered the game on the Texans' fifth play. He had one carry for seven yards and a seven-yard catch on the drive. Andre Johnson had two catches for 30 yards to help set up the score.
On the touchdown, Schaub faked a handoff to Slaton and rolled to his left. Leach was wide open in the flat and ran into the end zone untouched. That was Leach's first touchdown of the season and the fourth receiving touchdown of his career.
From the press box - 12:01 p.m.And here we go. After a rousing rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner by **Nancy Curtis**, the Texans won the coin toss and elected to receive.
The Texans are 3-1 when winning the coin toss this season.* *
From the press box - 11:49 a.m.Pregame introductions are about to start. The stands are starting to fill up in anticipation of kickoff.
Here are **five things to watch for** in today's game.* *
From the press box - 11:33 a.m.The Colts just finished warmups on the north end of the field and ran off into their tunnel in the southeast corner of the stadium, heading for the visiting locker room. The Texans followed suit a minute or two later - they're walking over to their tunnel in the northwest corner of the stadium now.
The teams will be back out for pregame intros and the national anthem shortly. The Texans will introduce their starting offense. The Colts will introduce their offense as well.
From the press box - 11:31 a.m.Here's what they're feeding us in the press box today. Good selection (big fan of the chopped beef sandwich that was served up in our buffet line).
Presenting the press box pregame menu, along with a customary rudimentary photo from my iPhone:
Blackened chicken
Chopped beef sandwich
Chipotle potato salad
Biscuits & sausage gravy
Fresh fruit salad
Tossed green salad
Gourmet cookies & brownies
From the press box - 11:15 a.m.
We're about 45 minutes away from kickoff of the Week 12 matchup between the 5-5 Texans and 10-0 Colts. The **roof is open** at Reliant Stadium today (see photo below) with 73-degree temperature and cloudy skies. The Texans are in their all-blue uniforms for Deep Steel Sunday presented by FS Houston.
Wide receiver Glenn Martinez and running back Arian Foster are among **the Texans' inactives**. As expected, Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney is out with an abdominal injury. Raheem Brock will start in his place.
The Texans and Colts met three weeks ago at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy, a 20-17 loss for Houston. The Texans scored 17 unanswered points to go up 17-13 early in the fourth quarter, but the Colts responded with a touchdown and Texans kicker Kris Brown's 42-yard field goal went wide left as time expired.
