The Indianapolis Colts have secured a place in the NFL playoffs with a 17-10 win over AFC South rivals the Houston Texans, ensuring that they will finish top in the division.
The Colts fell behind late in the first quarter when Andrew Luck was intercepted by Kendrick Lewis, leaving the safety to run the ball back for a touchdown.
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The quarterback quickly made amends at the start of the second, though, as he found Hakeem Nicks in space, leaving the wide receiver to run it in and level the scores.
Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was forced out of the game in the second quarter after picking up a leg injury, leaving rookie Tom Savage under center for the rest of the game.
However, the quarterback struggled with a handoff to Arian Foster, allowing the Colts offense back onto the field shortly before half time, resulting in a touchdown for Dwayne Allen.
Neither side could add to the score in the third quarter, while Foster had a touchdown ruled out in the fourth after DeVier Posey was penalised for a hold while the running back sprinted to the endzone, forcing the hosts to settle for a field goal.
Adam Vinatieri kept the Colts a touchdown clear, though, as he responded with a field goal for Indianapolis, leaving Houston needing to find the endzone inside the final two minutes to keep the division alive.
However, Savage took a heavy hit leaving him in pain on the Texans' final drive, resulting in him firing a wayward pass, which was intercepted by Vontae Davis to leave the Colts to run down the final 90 seconds.
The result moves the Colts onto 10-4 for the season, giving them an unassailable three-game lead over the Texans at the top of their division.
Sian Cowper
