Dec 30 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano coaching on the sidelines against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Horseshoe Hero

Colts 28 – Houston 16

Even the opponents paid their respect to Chuck Pagano on Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium. Early in the third quarter, Texans running back Arian Foster ran into the end zone for a 13-yard score, cutting the Colts’ lead to 1. Instead of taunting his defenders, Foster immediately ran to a nearby CHUCKSTRONG banner and patted it a few times. Then he bowed towards it. The small but impactful tribute was just one of the magical moments that befell the Indianapolis Colts in their final regular season outing of 2012. With little to gain but a lot to prove, the Colts beat the top-seeded Texans in their head coach’s first game back on the sidelines since leaving the team to undergo cancer treatment. Pagano is now in complete remission, and while he undoubtedly is the Horseshoe Hero of this Colts team, many players have stepped up to play admirably in his honor.

Offense

Award-winning sportswriter Rick Reilly put it best: “Andrew Luck is Mozart in cleats.” Luck put together a symphony of offense on Sunday, throwing for 191 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Luck’s accuracy still needs improvement, but he did throw a career-long 70-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton on a 3rd and 23 in the 4th quarter — remarkable.

Speaking of Hilton, the rookie out of Florida International recorded his 5th 100-yard receiving game, catching 4 passes for 111 yards. Hilton currently leads the NFL with 5 touchdown catches on throws that were more than 20 yards downfield. Tight end Coby Fleener caught the first score of the game — the second of his young career — with a 1-yard reception in the end zone on the Colts’ very first drive. Meanwhile, Reggie Wayne extended his own NFL record by catching at least 3 passes for the 64th-consecutive game.

On the ground, Vick Ballard, yet another rookie, stepped up to the plate by rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

Luck, Fleener, Hilton, and Ballard were 1st-round, 2nd-round, 3rd-round, and 5th-round picks, respectively, in this year’s NFL draft (Ryan Grigson for GM of the Year?).

Credit also goes to the offensive line for not allowing J.J. Watt to get to Andrew Luck. Watt needed 2.5 sacks to break an NFL record, but he did not get any. That is a huge accomplishment of the O-Linemen.

Defense

In Week 15 when the Colts played the Texans in Houston, the Colts defense allowed Arian Foster and Andre Johnson to rack up yards all around them. While Foster and Johnson definitely got going Sunday, the defense did a much better job of containing them, especially in the red zone. The solid defensive effort was largely due to some strong corner play by Vontae Davis and Cassius Vaughn. Davis intercepted Matt Schaub twice on Sunday, one of which was in the end zone; he now has 3 interceptions over the last 2 games. Davis was picked up in a mid-season trade with the Miami Dolphins (again, Ryan Grigson for GM of the year?).

Dwight Freeney also played strongly, making several key stops in the red zone, including a huge tackle for a loss on third down, and recording one of the team’s 4 sacks of Matt Schaub. Clifton Geathers, Lawrence Guy, and Jamaal Westerman also brought Schaub to the ground before he could get rid of the football.

Special Teams

Deji Karim was signed to the active roster just 2 short weeks ago. On Sunday, he recorded the longest kick return for a touchdown in Indianapolis Colts history, a 101-yarder in the 3rd quarter.

Adam Vinatieri was not needed much on Sunday – a rarity. He did not attempt a single field goal, but he did take the field 4 times to kick 4 perfect PATs after each of the Colts’ touchdowns.

Pat McAfee – snubbed of a Pro Bowl spot, in my opinion – continued his strong play. McAfee removed all doubts of a questionable punt call late in the 2nd quarter by kicking the ball directly to the Texans’ own 3-yard line. He currently has the 2nd-best punting average in the AFC. McAfee’s contract is up at the end of this year. If the Colts do not re-sign him, I may cry.

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The Texans have never won at Lucas Oil Stadium — they are now 0-11 in Indianapolis. Can the Colts keep their winning streak going into the playoffs? We will find out next week when the Colts will likely take on the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of postseason action. Horseshoe Hero will have the game recap for you next week.

Stay CHUCKSTRONG, Colts fans! This truly has been a magical regular season.

Ballard was drafted to a team that seemed very stacked in their running back stable at the beginning of the season. That core of running backs was quickly decimated by injury, and disabled by lack of production. Donald Brown, who began the season as the starter, was lost for the season to an ankle injury. Second-string back Delone Carter has also been battling injury, and has been less-than stellar in limited time on the field. Veteran back Mewelde Moore returned to the team last week, after being released earlier in the season. Moore had only four carries in week 15, one of which was a goal line fumble.

Ballard exploded on the scene with a highlight-of-the-year leaping touchdown rush in overtime against the Tennessee Titans in week eight. Prior to that amazing game-winner, Ballard got 20 carries for 84 yards, in a home win against the Cleveland Browns. Last Sunday, Ballard became the first Indianapolis Colt this season to rush for over 100 yards. It may have not been expected to see this much of Vick Ballard on the field for the Colts in his rookie season, but the new horse on the block has literally taken the ball and ran with it.

Dec 16, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) sets up to take a snap against the Houston Texans during the first quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Horseshoe Hero

 Colts 17 - Texans 29

The comeback pattern looked like it would continue. Down by 10 at halftime, the Colts came out in the second half a much improved team. They were driving. The running game got going, Andrew Luck threw a touchdown pass, and Houston’s play calling appeared conservative. But ultimately, the Colts could not take down the now 12-2 Houston Texans, who, with their victory, clinched the AFC South division title. Had the Colts won at Reliant Stadium today, they would have cliched their own playoff spot with a Wild Card berth. Now, things become a little more complicated.

Offense

Andrew Luck played a solid game, throwing for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. More importantly, he did not throw an interception, the first time the quarterback did not turn the ball over since Week 9 against Miami. However, Luck was sacked a whopping 5 times, three of which came courtesy of J.J. Watt, a top candidate for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award. The offensive line struggled to give Luck time to the get rid of the football, likely due to the fact that both Samson Satele and Winston Justice were missing from the lineup with injuries.

Vick Ballard was once again the star of the run game. The rookie continues to improve and had his best outing to date, notching his first ever 100-yard rushing game behind Anthony Castonzo‘s excellent run blocking. It’s hard to believe that Ballard has only been starting for half the season. As he will tell you, a player’s name can be called at any time, and it’s amazing the opportunities that can arise from it.

Perhaps the Colts could have put more points on the board if their X-factor player Reggie Wayne had not virtually been taken out of the game plan. Wayne had only 3 receptions for 14 yards, almost unbelievable numbers for the AFC’s 4th-leading receiver. However, T.Y. Hilton did his best to pick up the slack. The rookie out of Florida International caught his team-best 6th touchdown pass of the year and led the team on the day in receiving yards (78). Dwayne Allen had the other receiving score.

What really cost the Colts on offense were some inexcusable errors. Running back Mewelde Moore, who was signed to the active roster just this week, fumbled the ball on Houston’s 1-yard line, costing the Colts a touchdown. Reggie Wayne would also have had a touchdown had it not been negated by a penalty. It did not help that the Colts were only 1-for-8 on third down.

Defense

While the defense did a remarkably good job of containing Arian Foster in the first half, they succumbed to him in the second half, and they could not stop the Matt Schaub-to-Andre Johnson passing tandem at all throughout the entire game. Foster had 165 yards on the ground, while Johnson had 151 yards and a 52-yard touchdown. Dwight Freeney provided a bright spot, recording a tackle for no gain and a sack on consecutive plays in the third quarter (The sack was his first since Week 9). Robert Mathis and Antoine Bethea also recorded sacks on Schaub, and Vontae Davis led the team with 9 tackles. The defense found themselves on the field for a good portion of the game, with the Texans dominating the time of possession.

Special Teams

Adam Vinatieri‘s 26-yard field goal and 2 PATs enabled him to surpass the 100-point mark for the 15th time, good enough for second all time. ‘Nuff said.

Pat McAfee kicked a 63-yard “Boomstick”-worthy punt, but another of his punts was blocked and returned for a Texans touchdown.

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The Colts proved on Sunday that they can indeed compete with the top teams in the AFC, but mistakes cost them a huge statement victory and a guaranteed playoff spot. Without the fumble, the blocked punt, and the touchdown-nullifying penalty, the Colts could very well have found themselves earning a 31-22 victory. Who knows? The Colts’ playoff chances are still very much alive, though. Horseshoe Hero will have the game recap of their matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium next week, and we’ll see what unfolds.

Stay #CHUCKSTRONG, Colts fans!