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National Football League
Indianapolis 31, Houston 3
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 17, 2021
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Jerome Boger
Attendance: 57947

Carson Wentz threw two touchdown passes, Jonathan Taylor rushed for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns and the Indianapolis Colts rode big plays to a 31-3 victory over the Houston Texans Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Taylor gained 139 yards and posted both of his touchdowns in the second half as the Colts (2-4) methodically pulled away from the error-prone Texans (1-5), whose losing skid reached five games. Houston committed three turnovers, two of which the Colts converted into scores.

Wentz passed for 223 yards with scoring strikes of 51 yards to Parris Campbell in the first quarter and 28 yards to Mo Alie-Cox with 11:50 left in the third, with the latter score following a Darius Leonard interception of Texans rookie quarterback Davis Mills.

It marked Leonard's fourth consecutive game with a takeaway, and the Wentz-to-Alie-Cox connection extended the Indianapolis lead to 17-3.

Campbell departed with a foot injury after his score capped the Colts' second possession. Indianapolis pushed to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter after Wentz found T.Y. Hilton for a 52-yard gain on a drive that culminated with a 41-yard Michael Badgley field goal.

Badgley signed with the Colts last Wednesday with Rodrigo Blankenship dealing with a hip injury that later landed him on injured reserve. Hilton made his season debut following preseason neck surgery and finished with four receptions for 80 yards, but exited early with a quad injury.

Taylor recorded the third play of 50-plus yards for the Colts with his 83-yard run to the Houston 5-yard line midway through the third. Taylor completed that drive with a 4-yard touchdown run for a 24-3 lead, and later added an 11-yard dash that completed the scoring with 4:47 to play.

It marked the second 100-yard rushing game of the season for Taylor.

Mills passed for 243 yards but tossed a pair of interceptions. Houston running back David Johnson fumbled to set up the second Taylor scoring run.

Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter to cap a 13-play, 62-yard drive for the Texans.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Houston   Indianapolis
Mark Ingram II Player Jonathan Taylor
18 Attempts 14
73 Yards 145
4.1 Avg Yards 10.4
0 Touchdowns 2
24 Long 83
Receiving
Houston   Indianapolis
Brandin Cooks Player T.Y. Hilton
9 Receptions 4
89 Yards 80
9.9 Avg Yards 20.0
0 Touchdowns 0
20 Long 52
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Houston 353 124 229 0 1 0 2.0 0
Indianapolis 388 174 214 4 1 2 2.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Indianapolis will play their next game on the road against San Francisco. The Colts have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Houston will play their next game on the road against Arizona. The Texans have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .200 after a loss.