From Hero To Zero

The Texans grasped defeat from the jaws of victory as they fell to the Indianapolis Colts 31-27, thanks to three Sage Rosenfels turnovers in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.

The game began for the Texans just as most games between Houston and Indianapolis, as the Colts scored on their first two possessions and raced out to a 10-0 lead behind the arm of Peyton Manning and the short yardage running of Joseph Addai. Just as the game was about to get away from them, quarterback Sage Rosenfels, filling in for starter Matt Schaub who was out with a virus, led the Texans down the field on a nine play, 71-yard drive that was punctuated with a one-yard Steve Slaton touchdown plunge.

Houston took back momentum and the Texans defense stood tall as Peyton Manning and the Colts seemed out of sync and were scoreless for the rest of the half. Following a Kris Brown 34-yard field goal, the Texans took their first lead on five-yard pass from Sage Rosenfels to Andre Johnson. The touchdown was Johnson’s first of the season. Rosenfels completed 11 of his 14 first half pass attempts for 144 yards and one touchdown.

The Texans defense continued its impressive play in the third quarter as they allowed Indianapolis just two possessions, and only three first downs. Defensive end Mario Williams harassed Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, and the Houston secondary locked on to Indianapolis wide receivers and refused to allow the Colts any big plays down the field.

Houston took a page out of the Jacksonville playbook as they played ball-control offense against the smaller Colts defensive line, led by rookie running back Steve Slaton. Slaton finished with 93 yards rushing and his second touchdown of the day gave the Texans a seemingly insurmountable 27-10 lead.

Following what appeared as a meaningless touchdown, just as the Texans were about to finish off the Colts, quarterback Sage Rosenfels scrambled on a third and eight play and attempted to dive for the first down. Rosenfels was hit by defensive tackle Raheem Brock and cornerback Marlin Jackson, and fumbled the football. Linebacker Gary Brackett subsequently grabbed the football and raced down the sideline 68-yards for a touchdown to trim the Texans lead to 27-24.

On the ensuing possession, quarterback Sage Rosenfels was chased down from behind by Colts defensive end Robert Mathis and fumbled the football on the Texans 20-yard line. Manning and the Colts took over and put the final nails in Houston’s coffin when Reggie Wayne’s right knee came down in bounds on a six-yard touchdown reception.

The story for much of the day was the Texans defense, which bent but didn’t break and put enough pressure on Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning to get him out of his comfort zone. Manning finished 25 of 34 passing, for 247 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Defensive end Mario Williams had two sacks and finished with four tackles. Linebacker Zac Diles had nine stops and an interception, and DeMeco Ryans added seven tackles.

Offensively, quarterback Sage Rosenfels turned from hero to goat, as he was more than efficient for all but three minutes of the game, as he finished 21 of 33 passing for 246 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Rosenfels primary target was Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson who grabbed nine passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

The heart-breaking loss drops the Texans to 0-4, and the team is looking for answers from a game they did everything but win.