The Indianapolis Colts needed a late touchdown to secure a 25-24 win after trailing for the majority of their NFL game against the Cleveland Browns this evening.
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Neither side's offense threatened the endzone in the early stages of the game, but the hosts took the lead shortly before the end of the first quarter when Desmond Bryant forced a fumble from Andrew Luck.
The ball bounced back into the endzone, and Craig Robertson dived on it to secure the touchdown for Cleveland.
Kicker Billy Cundiff could have extended their lead shortly after, but the veteran sliced his short effort wide.
The AFC South leaders made the most of the miss to get back on level terms when Luck kept the ball to run it in from 12 yards out.
Brian Hoyer found his rhythm before the break though, and connected with Isaiah Crowell for a touchdown just before half time.
Mistakes cost the Colts further early in the third quarter when Luck fumbled again, allowing Justin Gilbert to recover the ball and run it back for a touchdown.
The quarterback made amends on his next drive though, completing a deep pass to TY Hilton, although an attempt at a two-point conversion failed to leave Indianapolis five points behind.
Adam Vinatieri cut the lead to three points, but Cundiff added another kick to keep Cleveland five in front.
Luck tried to force his way over for another touchdown late on but was held up short, and almost fumbled the ball again, but just managed to hold on.
The quarterback did get the Colts into a strong field position though, and managed to find Hilton from a yard out to edge the visitors in front with just 30 seconds still to play.
Hoyer got the ball back to try to salvage the game for the Browns, but his first effort to Josh Gordon was incomplete, before the quarterback threw an interception, allowing the Colts to escape with the win.
With the Texans beating the Jaguars, the win is not enough for the Colts to wrap up the AFC South title this week, but they will be able to book their playoff spot with a win next time out.
The defeat is a blow to the Browns' playoff hopes, though, as it leaves them bottom in the AFC North with a 7-6 record.
