INDIANAPOLIS –
Hakeem Nicks' 26-yard touchdown catch from Andrew LuckThe scene: Down 7-0 with 2:47 to go in the first quarter, the Colts took over at their own 22-yard line.The anatomy of the drive: 6 plays for 78 yards in 2:54.Key play(s): We heard all week long about the success that T.Y. Hilton had in his previous five meetings against the Texans. It was clear the Texans were going to do anything they could to keep Hilton from hitting on a chunk play. That was evident on this drive when Hilton made a 20-yard out pattern reception look relatively easy. Houston cornerback Johnathan Joseph wasn't going to let Hilton beat him deep and that allowed Hilton to turn him around and haul in the catch to push the Colts into Texans territory.The score: Facing a third-and-four at the Houston 26-yard line, the Colts came out in a bunch set of Coby Fleener, Reggie Wayne and Hakeem Nicks. The Texans paid a ton of attention to Wayne and Fleener but Nicks was able to settle deep into their zone. Nicks made a nice grab and then showed the ability to run after the catch and get into the end zone. Coming into Sunday, Nicks had caught just three passes in a month but plays like this one and the one below show why he could benefit from some favorable matchups down the stretch.**
Dwayne Allen's three-yard touchdown catch from Andrew LuckThe scene:Tied at 7 with 7:45 to go in the second quarter, the Colts took over at the Houston 37-yard line.The anatomy of the drive:3 plays for 37 yards in 1:24Key play:It was a crazy set of plays that led to this scoring drive. The Colts gave the ball away on a Reggie Wayne fumble but then got it right back when a botched Texans handoff was recovered by Bjoern Werner. A beautiful 18-yard catch from Hakeem Nicks was highlighted by his tiptoe effort on the sideline and set the Colts up with a first-and-goal from the three-yard line.The score:** Who knew this score would be all that the Colts needed on Sunday afternoon but it was true with the defense playing so well. It was a subtle play-action fake from Andrew Luck with his attention first to the flat where H-back Jack Doyle had leaked to. After Luck made his progressions, he found Dwayne Allen situated deep in the end zone. Luck rifled the pass to Allen and the tight end hauled in his eighth touchdown of the season. Allen has caught eight touchdowns in just 12 games this season, the fourth most in franchise history for a tight end.
