Colts drop heartbreaker in 23-19 loss to Texans to end season

The Indianapolis Colts (9-8) fought until the end but ultimately fell 23-19 against the Houston Texans (10-7) on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.

This was easily the most physical game the Colts have played this season, and there will be a lot of hindsight analysis, especially with the fourth-down play late in the fourth quarter that resulted in a Tyler Goodson drop to turn the ball over on downs.

There were plenty of chances for the Colts to have won this game, but there were equal amounts of opportunities that Indy failed to take advantage of in the loss.

It’s a heartbreaking defeat considering how hard the team battled despite so much adversity all season, but it’s officially time to enter the offseason.

Here’s everything we know from Week 18 loss that ends the Colts’ 2023 campaign:

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final Texans 7 7 3 6 23 Colts 3 3 8 5 19

The Colts faced a 4th-and-1 at the Texans 15-yard line. Gardner Minshew threw a quick ball to the flat a bit behind Tyler Goodson, who failed to haul in the pass. This turned the ball over on downs and allowed the Texans to run out the clock.

While the fourth-down call at the end of the game will be what is most discussed, the big picture should focus on the immense missed opportunities throughout the game. Between blown coverages on defense leading to C.J. Stroud’s two passing touchdowns, the missed tackles on defense, or the failure to deliver in key moments on offense, this result came down to the Colts’ failure to take advantage of the opportunities they were given.

The offseason begins. The Colts will begin signing players to futures contracts until the roster expands to 90 players, and the preparation for the offseason workouts, free agency and the draft will begin.