Colts-Texans quick thoughts
 

1. If you win a game on a hard count, they should subtract 10 points from the opposing team.

2. I'm not a REFS! guy -- I thought the forward progress call in JAX was wrong but the rest of the day was fine -- but it really felt like it was Indy vs zebras today.

3. What a bounceback game from Andrew Luck! It's boring to talk about what he does well, but his pocket feel is second to none. Most other QBs are sacked 2-3 additional times today (Watson is sacked 20 additional times). Pretty much my only nitpick is Luck's ball placement on quick screens, which even today was at least 50-50.

4. Obviously, Colts need to upgrade their receiving options this offseason. We all know what TY Hilton can do and does. And we know what Jack Doyle provides, and how Eric Ebron is ideally used. But it's a hope and a prayer going to pretty much anyone else. I think you can absolutely schematically use a Mo Alie-Cox type, but this team definitely needs upgrades at WR2 and WR3 at the very least. Also not beyond Colts finding another versatile TE who can block and at least decently catch the ball as a 4th-5th option.

5. I don't really have the time to pick apart the Colts' running game, but it also needs upgraded in 2019. I thought Marlon Mack had some good moments today, at least more than in recent weeks. But he's still inconsistent at best. I really like Hines, but more as a jack-of-all-trades option that lets you empty out the backfield. Just feels like the Colts need a better pure runner in the mix. Le'Veon Bell looks more and more in play every week, IMO.

7. Honestly, no surprise the Colts found offensive success when they stopped with the Haeg/Hewitt sets and started focusing on Hilton/Hines/Ebron. Not exactly rocket science. I do not, for the life of me, understand every coach staff's obsession with Haeg. He's not very good, IMO.

8. I credit the OL for weathering a storm today, though. You gotta go against Watt/Clowney/Reader + Mercilus and you're out Ryan Kelly...then lose Glowinski too? They can't run the ball for shit, but Luck had plenty of time to throw outside of one missed block from Braden Smith.

9. Colts almost always have success their their package plays where Luck has a TE slant read and a handoff option. Really should continue to be an offensive staple.

10. One thing I do wish Reich would improve: he tends to try to salt games a bit with the run game. NOTHING like Pagano did, and his thinking isn't always wrong, but to me, you'd rather win this game with Luck/Hilton than Mack. He eventually did do this -- the final drive was pass-pass-run instead of run-run-pass. But just worth him remembering: when you need a winning play, you're better with Luck throwing to Hilton/Hines/maybe Ebron than Mack running.

11. Matt Eberflus is the fucking man. I had my gripes about this scheme around midseason, but you know what? Unlike some of the chucklefuck coaches past, he ADJUSTED his scheme. Guy isn't stubborn. He maximizes his talent and plays above what he has to work with. Wouldn't be shocked if Colts lose him to a HC gig in next year or two.

12. Probably the best game this DL has played, and that's a surprisingly high bar given what they've already done this season. Denico Autry has really come on after struggling with early injuries and injury-related anonymity. Hunt affected more than a few passes. Tyquan Lewis crushed the pocket, although I'd like to see a little more variance to his game. Al-Q Muhammad had his best game as a Colt.

The only DL who disappointed me was Kemoko Turay. He looks like he just needs six months in a weight room, honestly.

13. GTFO with that penalty on Matthew Adams LOL. I know the one on Malik Hooker was way worse, but still, there was nothing malicious in the Adams hit. He's been hosed last few weeks for just playing good football.

14. Darius Leonard had a B game today. Kinda felt like this game was ripe for him to make a game-sealing play and he didn't quite. Had some nice plays, don't get me wrong. But he also, for instance, had a clear unblocked shot at Lamar Miller on 4th and goal and got trucked. Just think the next level of his game is to consistently make the play that seals things.

15. Kenny Moore is just a baller. How many CBs can make a tackle on a TE like he did? Dude hits like a safety and sticks in coverage. He's been an awesome surprise. Sign me up for another 16 games with Kenny Moore starting in 2019.

16. Pierre Desir had a quietly good day today as well. He often kept Nuk Hopkins from getting on top of the defense.

17. Probably Clayton Geathers' best game of the season. So naturally, he got hurt. Not sure how bad.

18. It would have been easy for this team to quit after that quicksand start and that bullshit Malik Hooker penalty went against them. But they buckled down and got after it. This team has only ever really been out of one game all year (@NYJ, weirdly). Honestly, guys, this really feels like a recipe for a division title next year.

This game really should not have been this close

And I say that because of the refs. I too try not to blame games on the refs, calls tend to even out, but not today.

Three HORRIBLE calls. The two "hitting a defenseless WR", WTF are you supposed to do, just not hit them until they have the catch and are on the ground, and one of the defensive holding calls was horrible. Meanwhile, Hilton was getting held and mugged ALL DAY and they were making no calls at all. And he still gets 200 yards. Joseph CLEARLY was all over him on two plays, from start to finish of his route, and they made no calls.

I thought this was a good complete game all around. The run game was the weak spot, but otherwise the coaching, offensive, defense all played well against an AFC playoff team that had the longest winning streak of the season.

If not for that shit call to overturn the INT in the end zone, Colts would have won this going away.

Hard to complain too much when my first "quick thought" was that we won against the Texican'ts.

Glad to see Reich go away from the power line to turn the offense back on fire.

Gotta clean up the stupid penalties on returns and others. However, I was glad to see Geathers get the flag because he saved us a blocked punt.

AV is healthy again, it seems.

If we get Kelly back next week, I like our chances for the rest of the year.

Oh, and the Texican'ts are not really a 9 straight wins sort of team. More of a lucky bounces team.

I thought the secondary played incredibly well today, shutting down Hopkins like that is huge.

Very much disliked the blitz call that lead to the 48-yard gain to their TE at the end but other than that I thought the game was called nearly perfectly on D.

Offense started out super slow but I'll give Luck credit not trying to force anything and giving them easy points.

D-Line did a great job not allowing Watson to run for the most part. He is so fast and has a cannon but doesn't seem to have great touch on his deep balls and obviously takes way too many sacks.

TY just owns Houston, so much fun to watch.

Thought we tackled VERY well today, 3 or 4 one-on-one tackles that stopped drives.

Fun game to watch, except for the refs.

To me, fans have been way too hard on geathers. We ask him to do a lot. Hooker just sits back and does nothing while geathers is all over the place.

Granted he isn’t great but he is ok.

This totally puts to rest for me any questions about how this coaching staff would rebound after a crap game. Players also. They could easily have called it in after those shit calls. Talk about being mentally tough. That we got a good one in Reich is confirmed again. It’s damn fun rooting for these guys.

The only problem with geathers is staying on the field.

He has been healthy most of the year.

This year. Fans have a long memory

Oh yeah. He broke his fucking neck and took awhile to get back. What a pussy right? God forbid we let him heal from that injury.