Head Coach DeMeco Ryans had been waiting for the takeaways, and in Indianapolis they finally came.
"The defense did a great job of taking the football away – that's what we have been missing – some turnovers," Ryans said. "We were able to take the ball away three times. The d-line played well at times. They did a good job – what we asked them to do."
Pressure That Produced Turnovers
Houston's pass rush kept the Colts' pocket crowded all day, and Indianapolis admitted afterward that it struggled to protect the football. Steichen said ball security in the pocket was "the biggest thing" his team needs to clean up.
"We knew those guys were going to be coming after it," Steichen said. "We've got to do a great job of keeping two hands on the football."
Colts QB Daniel Jones also acknowledged what the turnovers cost his team.
"Obviously you can't turn the ball over like that. Costly for the team," Jones said. "I thought our guys up front did a good job, and it's on me to get the ball out and then to protect it when I can't."
Neutralizing Jonathan Taylor
The Texans also shut down the Colts' ground game. DE Will Anderson Jr. said Houston's defensive performance was good enough to win.
"I think we did a really good job of neutralizing JT (Jonathan Taylor) and the run game," Anderson said. "It's a few plays that of course, we're going to look back and got to clean up, but I think we played winning football today. Like I said, they made one better play than us, and we've got to be able to finish and be able to capitalize off the momentum of the game and do a better job."
"I Love the Way We Played Today"
DT Tommy Togiai was proud of the effort, and he was also honest about the final drive.
"I think we started the game off really well. Obviously, there's always plays you can do better on, but I think as a whole, as a defense, I love the way we played today," Togiai said. "We've got to be better on that last drive. We can be better."
Stroud said the defense gave Houston every opportunity to win.
"I thought our defense did great, and at the end of the game, they gave us a chance."
