Minshew steadies Colts to 31-20 win over Texans
Gardner Minshew relieved an injured Anthony Richardson, and the Indianapolis Colts secured their first victory of the season 31-20 over the Houston Texans Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.
Minshew replaced the No. 4 overall pick in the second quarter. The former Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles signal caller went 19-of-23 for 171 yards and a touchdown. Before leaving the game, Richardson completed six passes on 10 attempts for 56 yards and rushed three times for 35 yards and two touchdowns.
The Texans had trouble with the Colts’ ground game as running back Zack Moss shredded Houston for 88 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Colts were efficient with their possessions as the Texans out-paced them 389 to 353 in total offense and also had a 34:58 time of possession compared to the Colts’ 25:02.
C.J. Stroud scores
Stroud threw his first career touchdown pass with 3:19 to go in the first quarter. The No. 2 overall pick found receiver Nico Collins for an eight-yard touchdown to help Houston chip into the Colts’ 14-7 lead. Stroud finished with 30 completions on 47 attempts for 384 yards and two touchdowns.
Nico Collins' career game
Collins caught seven passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. The receiving yards were a career high for the former 2021 third-rounder from Michigan, and were also the most such yards by a Texans wideout since Week 1, 2021, when Brandin Cooks had 132.
Defensive struggles
The Texans weren’t able to stop the Colts on the ground as Indianapolis had 126 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Indianapolis also went 50% on third down conversions (6-12) while having their way 4-4 in the red zone. Houston’s defense failed to record a sack and logged just one quarterback hit.
What's next?
The Colts (1-1) go on the road to play the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 3.
Houston (0-2) also travels to play the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field.
