When the Colts travel to NRG Stadium to take on the Houston Texans on Sunday, they'll do so coming off a win – albeit not the prettiest one. More importantly, however, the Texans will be coming off a loss.
The Texans fell to the Green Bay Packers 24-22 in Week 7, putting them at 5-2 on the season. The Colts are 4-3. Week 8 is crucial for the Colts in regard to the AFC playoff race; with a win on Sunday, the Colts can equal the Texans' record.
The Colts will have to take advantage of the momentum off their own win while also capitalizing on a Texans team that couldn't find its rhythm or hold on to a lead against the Packers.
Houston's offense struggles in loss at Green Bay
The final play of the Texans' loss to the Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field was a Packers field goal in the last three seconds of the game, as the Texans were unable to hold on to their lead in the second half.
Houston scored 19 of its 22 points in the first half, with one lone field goal coming in the fourth quarter. Green Bay scored 14 points in the first half and 10 points in the second; that was all the Packers needed to do, because Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and his offense couldn't find their rhythm.
"I think our defense did a great job," Stroud said. "I think our special teams did amazing, so we have to be better as an offense. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot once again, and I think that's a recipe for disaster when you're playing against a great team. This is on us, period."
Stroud completed 10-of-21 passes for 86 yards and no touchdowns; he finished the game with a passer rating of 58.8. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, by comparison, completed 10-of-29 passes for 129 yards, finishing with a passer rating of 59.2.
The Texans rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries as running back Joe Mixon had 115 yards and both touchdowns on 25 carries.
"A lot of things didn't go right offensively," Stroud said. "We didn't get in a rhythm early. We missed some (opportunities). I thought we ran the ball well, but (we) just weren't clicking in the passing game."
Houston's defense allowed Packers quarterback Jordan Love to complete 24-of-33 passes for 220 yards, but held the Packers to just 82 rushing yards. It's worth noting that the Texans were without five starters on defense, and still recorded six quarterback hits, three sacks and two interceptions. But they couldn't keep Love and his offense out of field goal range on the final drive of the game, and the Packers' 44-yard field goal sealed the game.
"I thought our guys did a good job defensively (but) we didn't make enough plays to win the game," head coach DeMeco Ryans said. "No matter who's out there, there's no excuses. We've got to play our technique the right way and make plays when it's our time to make a play."
Jaguars take down Patriots in London
The Jacksonville Jaguars needed a win on Sunday, and they got one – even if it was against the struggling New England Patriots.
"This a time of adversity and adversity shows great character," running back Tank Bigsby said. "It shows who you can be and who you are. Today showed what this team can be when our backs are against the wall and we're going through something. Let's keep going."
The Jaguars beat the Patriots 31-16, scoring 25 unanswered points after giving up 10 points early in the game. 22 of the Jaguars' points came in the second quarter alone, including a 96-yard punt return by wide receiver Parker Washington and a successful two-point conversion to follow.
Bigsby rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 15-of-20 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. continued his trend of being a go-to player with five receptions (on five targets) for 89 yards and a touchdown. Thomas was also the receiver Lawrence found in the end zone on Jacksonville's two-point conversion.
"Each week, he just keeps getting better and better," head coach Doug Pederson said about Thomas. "He and Trevor have a really good connection going. There's something we have to continue. We have to continue to find ways to scheme him open. I thought [offensive coordinator] Press Taylor did a nice job his week doing that."
Jacksonville's defense stepped up as well, holding the Patriots to 38 total rushing yards. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 26-of-37 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns, but a lackluster performance from the Patriots' defense kept the team from gaining much momentum in the second half, and the Jaguars left London with their second win of the season.
Even with quarterback change, Titans lose to Buffalo Bills
Ahead of the Tennessee Titans' game against the Bills, it was announced that quarterback Mason Rudolph would be playing in place of an injured Will Levis. Rudolph, in his seventh year in the NFL, got off to an encouraging start but faltered in a big way in the second half – as did the rest of the team.
The Titans scored first, with a field goal in the first quarter, and went up 10-0 with a touchdown in the second quarter. The Bills then scored 34 unanswered points to win the game and move the Titans to 1-5 on the season.
"A tale of two halves," head coach Brian Callahan said. "Seems like the tale of our season so far. Find a way to play really well early, and we did not play really well in the second half at all, in any phase. We have to find a way to get that fixed. We went backwards on offense, we had penalties. We had a million issues, quarterback hits, all those things. Not good enough."
Rudolph was 25-of-40 for 215 yards and a touchdown, as well as an interception and a fumble, and he only threw for 60 yards in the second half.
"We just got behind the chains a lot (in the second half)," Rudolph said. "We had penalties on first and second down, negative runs, I missed a couple of throws. Against a good team at home, you can't do that. We have to get it cleaned up. I don't think it's a lack of preparation, we just have to go execute. It's back to the drawing board. All you can do is work."
Tennessee's defense allowed Bills quarterback Josh Allen to complete 21-of-33 passes for 323 yards (an average of 9.8 yards per pass) and a touchdown, and the Bills rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
"The second half was (expletive), all over the place," defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said. "No one wants to be 1 and 5. I think we all feel the same: S*y. … I think everybody feels the same way, from the locker room to the fans. They have a right to feel the way they feel. … The second half of this game, it was bad. Bad football from the Tennessee Titans."
Callahan said Levis will be week-to-week going forward.
