Indianapolis Colts hold off Houston Texans to continue winning run

The Indianapolis Colts have recorded their fourth successive NFL victory by beating the Houston Texans 33-28 in a thrilling clash at the NRG Stadium.

An early Colts lead arrived via a field goal from Adam Vinatieri, before Andrew Luck clicked into top form by driving his side forward to allow Trent Richardson to rush over from five yards.

A penalty conceded by the Texans invited pressure from Indianapolis, who took full advantage when Luck fired a pass to Ahmad Bradshaw to extend their advantage.

It was one-way traffic throughout the opening quarter, and the Colts continued to enjoy success when Coby Fleener collected another Luck pass to make it 24-0.

However, their momentum was soon halted before the break as Houston hit back in style, with Ryan Fitzpatrick guiding his side forward to find Andre Johnson for his side's first touchdown, before Arian Foster spotted a gap to reduce the deficit to 24-14.

Vinatieri would have the final say before the break as he sent over a field goal to add to the Indianapolis lead.

Hopes of a Houston comeback were raised in the third quarter when Foster weaved his way into the endzone once again to pull his side to within six points of the Colts.

Luck thrived under the pressure as he delivered a 33-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton, but they were unsuccessful with the two-point attempt which followed.

An enthralling night continued in the final quarter as the home fans watched Houston set up a dramatic finish when J.J. Watt recovered the ball from Luck's fumble, before sprinting over 40 yards to put the pressure on Indianapolis.

The Colts managed to hold their nerve in the closing stages, as a late charge from the Texans was disrupted by a couple of fumbles which handed the control back to the visitors.