Jarrett Bell

USA TODAY Sports





HOUSTON – This race for the AFC South crown is one ugly baby.

But with beauty in the eye of the beholder, the Houston Texans will surely dote on that baby.

The Texans rallied from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Indianapolis Colts, 26-23, in overtime on Sunday night to hang onto first place.

Nick Novak’s 33-yard field goal, with 6:50 elapsed in overtime, capped the comeback.

“Nothing was pretty about tonight,” Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler said.

Take Osweiler at his word on this. The Texans (4-2) were in serious danger of losing the division lead to the struggling Colts (2-4), which is why a significant percentage of the 71,891 at NRG Stadium had already hit I-610 in disgust by the time the home team discovered some magic.

Here’s what the winning formula looked like:

- Lamar Miller, rushing for 149 yards and producing a darting, dashing 10-yard TD reception late in the fourth quarter that pulled the Texans to within a touchdown.

- A big-play defense getting its hands on Andrew Luck when it mattered most. For much of the night Luck, who entered the game as the NFL’s most-sacked quarterback, slipped and dodged his way out of trouble. But Indianapolis’ last two drives in regulation went kaput when Luck was sacked, then on the latter possession harassed unmercifully as the Texans kept the momentum. In overtime, the Colts only possession ended with Benardrick McKinney blitzing to dump Luck for a nine-yard sack.

- Osweiler shaking off a pick that looked to doom the Texans. Houston invested $72 million into a six-year contract to land Osweiler in a free agency, with the hopes that he would get them over the hump to become a legitimate contender. And with J.J. Watt, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, lost for the season due to a second back surgery, the stakes are seemingly raised on Osweiler’s ability to help the offense pick up the slack.

Yet for much of Sunday night, Osweiler was shaky. His third-quarter interception nearly doomed the Texans, and extended his dubious string of throwing a pick in each game this season.

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Two plays after Osweiler underthrew DeAndre Hopkins on a pass over the middle, picked by Vontae Davis, Luck scampered 12 yards into the end zone for the touchdown that extended Indianapolis’ lead to 20-9.

The Texans, however, came to life in the fourth quarter and Osweiler made amends. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Osweiler found his rhythm by connecting on three consecutive passes – capped by a 26-yard scoring strike to C.J. Fiedorowicz with 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

In overtime, the Texans forced a punt with McKinney’s sack. Then Osweiler provided the big throw – a 36-yard laser strike to Jaelen Strong – that set up Novak’s winning kick.

“None of those guys quit fighting,” said Osweiler, who passed for 180 of his 269 yards in the fourth quarter and in overtime. “It’s a testament to the heart of this team.”

On the flip side, the Colts are reeling over what might have been.

“You’ve got to finish,” lamented Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who saw his offense squander multiple scoring chances that might have put the game away early. Then his undermanned defense lost its way.

“It’s a game of momentum,” he said. “They caught fire the end and we ran out of gas.”

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