Late-game drops cost Indianapolis Colts in loss to Houston Texans

INDIANAPOLIS --- Third and fourth downs are the money downs in the NFL and throughout Sunday's game against the Houston Texans, the visitors made yards hard to come by in critical situations for the Indianapolis Colts.

On third and nine from the Texans' 31-yard line with 1:55 left in the game, Josh Downs did almost everything right. The shifty wide receiver went in motion, created separation with his route, presented his numbers to quarterback Daniel Jones and slipped, dropping a pass that would've brought him close to the first-down marker.

With the game on the line, Jones went to his other sure-handed receiver, Michael Pittman Jr. Starting in a bunch formation to the right, Pittman found space in the Texans zone over the middle of the field. The Texans defenders closed quickly, but the ball bounced off Pittman's hands, giving the ball back to Houston, ultimately sending Indy to a 20-16 loss.

Downs declined an interview request after the game.

"Sometimes you win the tight games, but when you lose the tight games it's frustrating," Colts coach Shane Steichen said. "We could've had that, we could've had this, we could've had that, and you look back and it's three or four plays when you lose the tight ones. We've got to find a way to get those tight plays when it is tight like that."

The Colts finished 3 for 10 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down.

The drops were uncharacteristic for the Colts pass catchers, but on a day with very few big plays, failing to convert late cost the Colts.

"You want to make every catch," Colts running back Jonathan Taylor said. "You want to break every play for 99 yards, but at the end of the day it comes down to a level of focus. We've got to help Daniel out, we've got to be in our spots, we've got to make plays. ... It's a collective effort."

Houston entered Sunday with the stingiest defense on a per game basis, allowing just 264 yards per game. Houston's pass defense is the third-best in the league and its rushing defense ranked fifth.

Taylor gained a respectable 85 yards on 21 carries, but he had a long run of just 12 yards. When the Colts needed chunk yardage, receiver Alec Pierce was the only player capable of winning his matchup. He regularly found soft spots in Houston's zone and his 19-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was a great individual effort, as he elevated over two defenders in the corner of the end zone to come down with the contested catch.

With Jones playing through a reportedly fractured fibula, the Colts skill players know they need to elevate their play to help their quarterback.

Jones finished 14 of 27 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren did his best to help Jones, playing through an illness to make three catches for 22 yards and one touchdown.

"We just need to execute," Pittman said of his late-game drop. "I have to play better too. ... At the end of the day, we didn't make it, we didn't get it done. It was a tough play, but it is what it is. We've got to make those plays and get it going."

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts vs Texans: Drops by Downs, Pittman cost Indy in loss to Houston