The pool report from Sunday’s Texans-Colts game addressed three controversial calls. It overlooked one of them.
With three minutes to play the third quarter, the Colts faced third and 19 from the Houston 44. Quarterback Daniel Jones threw deep to receiver Alec Pierce. The officials called pass interference on safety Calen Bullock. The Colts picked up 32 yards in field position, and a first down.
There was only one problem. And it was a big one. The pass was clearly uncatchable.
The ball landed well out of bounds, close to the dotted yellow line painted nine feet from the outer edge of the thick white stripe that borders the sideline. Pierce would have needed a ladder, or a pogo stick, to have a chance at catching the throw.
There was no discussion of catchability during the broadcast. None of the Texans defenders made the gesture (palm over top of head) that indicates uncatchability. The official who threw the flag didn’t even look to see where the ball had landed.
It was a clear miss, one that resulted in a Colts touchdown on the very next play, tying the game (with the extra point) at 13.
Again, it wasn’t addressed in the pool report. The league otherwise hasn’t said anything about it. During Football Night in America, Simms decried the lack of common sense exhibited by the call. (As Simms quipped, the hot dog vendor had a better chance at catching the ball than Pierce.)
Unfortunately, common sense ain’t. And that quality was on display in Indy. If the Colts had won the game, it presumably would have been a much bigger deal. Instead, because the Texans won, three calls that favored Houston became the subject of the post-game postmortem.
The Texans got quarterback C.J. Stroud back in the lineup for Sunday’s game Colts and they got the result they were looking for against the Colts.
Houston’s 20-16 win extended their winning streak to four games and kept them in the mix for the AFC South title if they can continue stacking victories. Stroud was 22-of-35 for 276 yards and an interception in the game and said he “knocked off some rust” that accumulated while he was out for three games with a concussion.
Stroud said that he felt he got “rolling” as that rust fell away and that he thinks the Texans can continue to turn around a season that opened with losses in their first three games.
“We’re super dangerous,” Stroud said, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC. “We lost some close games against some really good teams. If we can find a way to win some close games after Thanksgiving, we’ll put ourselves in position to do whatever we want.”
Stroud and the Texans will be in Kansas City next Sunday night for a game that is crucial to the playoff hopes of both teams, so Houston will need a rust-free performance from their quarterback if they want to keep rising after their early stumbles.
Sunday’s Texans-Colts game included various controversial calls. Three of them were addressed by referee Clay Martin in a post-game pool report.
Like most pool reports, it was largely useless. But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what was said to pool reporter Stephen Holder.
First, on the fourth-quarter play where the play clock clearly ran out before the ball was snapped, Martin was asked why a delay of game was not called.
“The back judge is the calling official and there is a process on that,” Martin said. “When the clock hits zero, he looks down to the ball and if the ball is snapped as he looks down from the clock to the ball, we leave that alone. That’s what he ruled on the play.”
It’s not an uncommon situation. The NFL play clock isn’t like an NBA shot clock. There’s no buzzer. The official has to see that the clock has hit zero, to check whether the ball has been snapped. It builds in a second or so of a buffer, which is (for the most part) consistently applied.
Second, on that same play, Colts cornerback Kenny Moore was flagged for pass interference after Texans receiver Xavier Hutchinson seemed to fall down.
Said Martin: “The calling official had an arm grab at the top of the route. When you look back, the ball was in the air, and when you see the ball in the air, that makes it pass interference.”
Not actually. By rule, the contract must “restrict the opponent’s opportunity to make the catch.” Any contact at the top of the route didn’t seem to affect Hutchinson.
Third, Martin was asked about the Texans’ fourth-quarter extra point that seemed to be no good.
“The calling official had the ball above the upright and completely inside the outside edge of the upright and so he ruled a successful try,” Martin said. “Since the ball was above the upright, it’s not reviewable.”
So there it is. Another pool report that largely says nothing we didn’t already know. Rarely if ever is the subject of a pool report going to admit that there was a mistake. It would be far better to have one person who meets with reporters on a weekly basis and answers any/all questions about calls from the prior slate of games.
The Texans won their fourth game in a row and fifth in six games, pulling closer in the AFC South standings.
Houston beat Indianapolis 20-16 on Sunday, improving the Texans’ record to 7-5, while the Colts fell to 8-4. The Jaguars will move to 8-4 after they finish off the Titans.
The Colts reached the Houston 32 with 2:36 to play. Jonathan Taylor ran for 1 yard on first down, but officials missed a facemask penalty on safety Calen Bullock. Daniel Jones then threw three consecutive incompletions, giving Houston the ball back with 1:45 left.
The Colts never saw it again. Texans running back Woody Marks had runs of 1 and 9 yards, picking up a first down and burning two of the Colts’ timeouts. Houston then was able to run out the clock.
Officials had a questionable day with several big missed calls, including a pass interference penalty on each team that shouldn’t have been. Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn appeared to miss an extra point wide left, too, but it was called good.
Ultimately, it was Michael Badgley’s missed PAT that bounced off the left upright that left the Colts in a position where they couldn’t kick a field goal to tie it late.
The Texans outgained the Colts 364 to 281 and outplayed them, but they went 0-for-2 on fourth down and 2-for-5 in the red zone to keep it competitive.
C.J. Stroud returned after missing three games with a concussion and completed 22 of 35 passes for 276 yards and an interception. Marks ran for 64 yards on 19 carries, and Nico Collins caught five passes for 98 yards.
It was the first time this season that an opponent has held the Colts to fewer than 20 points.
Daniel Jones, who is playing with a fractured fibula, went 14-of-27 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Jonathan Taylor had 21 carries for 85 yards and was held scoreless. Alec Pierce caught four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, and Josh Downs added two catches for 44 yards.
The Colts benefited from a questionable pass interference call against the Texans on their game-tying touchdown drive. The Texans, though, got one back on the ensuing drive.
On third-and-15 from the Indianapolis 25, the play clock reached zero before the snap. Officials did not throw a flag, and C.J. Stroud threw a pass at Xavier Hutchinson, who was on the ground. Officials threw a flag on Kenny Moore for an 8-yard defensive pass interference penalty.
Replays showed Moore did not interfere with Hutchinson.
Four plays later, Nico Collins was in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
It appeared Ka’imi Fairbairn’s extra point was wide left, but officials called it good. Houston leads 20-13 early in the fourth quarter.
Stroud is 20-of-33 for 233 yards and an interception.
