Missed field goal gives Colts eighth victory

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By Bryan Ault, November 8, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS–Houston Texans kicker Kris Brown made a 56-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to build momentum for the second half. When he tried to make a 42-yard field goal as time expired in the second half, he wasn’t as lucky.

 

The missed field goal sealed the Colts’ 20-17 victory over the Texans on Sunday. The victory moves the Colts to 8-0 on the season.

 

“It was a huge win with great effort,” said Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. “It wasn’t perfect, but we did a good job of fighting and hanging in there. We’ll definitely take it.”

 

Manning completed 19 passes for 176 yards in the first quarter, and threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to running back Joseph Addai. The Colts extended their lead to 13-0 after two Matt Stover field goals.

 

The score at the half was 13-3 after Brown’s 56-yard field goal. This gave the Texans momentum for the second half. The Texans came out and moved 86 yards down the field to score touchdown, courtesy of a one-yard pass from quarterback Matt Schaub to running back Ryan Moats. The Texans scored on their next possession when Steve Slaton ran for a one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, making the score 17-13.

 

The Colts drove 61 yards down the field, and Addai finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The score put the Colts up 20-17.

 

The Texans got the ball back with 1:46 to play and no timeouts left. Schaub completed eight passes and moved the Texans 62 yards to the 24-yard line. Schaub managed to spike the ball with one second remaining. Brown then missed the potential game-tying field goal.

 

Tight end Dallas Clark caught a career-high 16 passes for 119 yards.

 

“They didn’t adjust or change what they were doing,” Clark said of Houston’s defense. “We just tried to keep attacking it. Those are things that we need to continue to work on.”

 

The Colts’ inefficiency on third downs, particularly through the second half, was cause for concern.

 

“We did a great job of moving the ball, but we didn’t finish it well,” Manning said. “We would like to do better on third down. We would’ve liked to have ended those drives with a couple of touchdowns.”

 

The Colts return to action next Sunday night as the New England Patriots come to town.