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Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

The suggestion from Raysrock070: [Clint] Session's pick on [Matt] Schaub when [Gary] Brackett blitzed him. That killed their drive, and any momentum that they had going.

The situation: Houston ball, second-and-10 at the Indianapolis 42-yard line with 2:20 remaining in the game and the Colts ahead 20-17.

	AP Photo/AJ Mast
	Clint Session’s interception helped put the Colts in position to remain undefeated.

The Texans line up with Steve Slaton to the right of Matt Schaub in shotgun with four wide receivers, two to each side, all inside the numbers -- left to right, Andre Johnson, David Anderson, Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter.

Indy counters with a nickel package, with Jerraud Powers shifted to the inside near Anderson before the snap and Tim Jennings wide on the same side. Jacob Lacey is on the Jones/Walter side of the formation. Both safeties are deep.

Both linebackers are near the line of scrimmage, with Gary Brackett between Dwight Freeney and Antonio Johnson and Clint Session between Raheem Brock and Daniel Muir.

What I saw unfold after the snap: Powers tracks Anderson first, but when the receiver turns outside he leaves him for Jennings to deal with and goes to front Johnson who turns inside and has safety Melvin Bullitt behind him.

Right tackle Eric Winston helps right guard Chris White on Muir, before moving on to Brock, who was held up for a second by Slaton.

Left tackle Duane Brown handles a spin move by Freeney, in part because the defensive end bumps into his left tackle, Johnson, who’s ridden to his right by the double team of left guard Kasey Studdard and center Chris Myers.

Session drops to cover the middle.

Brackett loops around Johnson and Myers is slow to leave Johnson and get to the linebacker, who has a straight path to Schaub. The quarterback drops about two steps and bounces once waiting for things to develop before the blitzer is on him. Schaub appears to have room to buy a bit of time by sliding left, but does not and Brackett hits him in the upper right arm as he releases the ball -- probably for Johnson who was bracketed and not open, maybe for Anderson who was not very deep.

The result is a fluttering pass that Session has no trouble collecting for an interception.

Result: The pick gives the ball to the Colts who go three-and-out but burn 27 seconds and two Houston timeouts.

Ultimate outcome: The Texans are under major time pressure for the end-of-game drive that results in a missed 42-yard field goal by Kris Brown that would force overtime. Colts win 20-17 and move to a perfect 8-8 with a 3½-game lead over the Texans in the AFC South.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

The relieved Colts' acknowledged distance between the teams has shrunk. The frustrated Texans said it didn’t really matter.

Kris Brown’s 42-yard field goal attempt sailed just a bit wide to the left on the final play of Indy’s 20-17 win at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday and left the Colts at a perfect 8-0 and sent the Texans into their bye at 5-4.

“We closed the gap last year, the gap’s been closed I think for a year now,” Houston right tackle Eric Winston said. “We’ve just got to be that much better than those guys at the end of the game because they’re good at what they do at the end.”

Said Colts linebacker Gary Brackett: “They’ve more than closed the gap. You look at the last couple times we’ve played those guys, it’s been to the final couple minutes. Those guys are on the right track, I tip my hat off to them and they are going to make a lot of teams suffer this year.”

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

Houston Texans

• “After blowing a chance to force overtime on their last possession for the third time this season, the Texans need to call a mechanic to do a tune-up. The Texans cough and sputter like some jalopy that can’t run smoothly for 60 minutes without breaking down,” writes John McClain.
• Few teams could self-destruct the way the Texans did Sunday afternoon and still have a chance to defeat one of the NFL's two unbeaten teams, writes Richard Justice.
• Bernard Pollard shined in a homecoming game, say McClain and Jeffrey Martin.
• “I just missed it,” Kris Brown said of the 42-yard field goal that would have forced overtime. McClain’s story.
• A perfect storm of TV, confusion and luck helped the Colts on a key challenge, writes McClain. I wrote extensively on this, too, here. Alan Burge said the Texans staff was asleep at the wheel.
• Dunta Robinson said it was the toughest loss he’s suffered as a Texan, says Justice.
• The Texans are still chasing the lead horse, says Steve Wyche.
• Gary Kubiak thought holding the Colts to 20 points should have been good enough, says Martin.
• McClain’s report card.

Indianapolis Colts

• The Colts got to 8-0 as the Texans missed a last-second field goal, writes Phil Richards.
• Dallas Clark got his career-high 14 catches in part because the Texans didn’t adjust, say Philip B. Wilson and Mike Chappell.
• Those 14 catches for Clark were a franchise record, says Tom James.
• Gary Brackett and Clint Session collaborated on a key take-away, says Chappell.
• John Clayton considers the Colts’ furious pace early on.
• Bob Kravitz’s report card.
• Forty passes in the first half were part of an imperfect day for the Colts, writes Wilson.
• John Oehser’s always thorough “Coffee with the Colts.”
• Mike Silver walks us through the rough spots of a gritty win.
• In his anatomy of a nail-biter, Deshawn Zombie has a major beef with a couple Colts punts.
• The 1975 Baltimore Colts were part of the day, says Mike Chappell.
• Manning is the first quarterback to throw for 40,000 yards in a decade.
• The Colts turned up the tempo to stay unbeaten, says Dan Graziano.

Jacksonville Jaguars

• The Jaguars hung on for a win over the Chiefs, writes Michael C. Wright.
• Forget style points, this was an old-fashioned Jaguars win, says Gene Frenette.
• Mike Sims-Walker had a big day, and his 147 receiving yards were the most for a Jaguars receiver since Jimmy Smith in 2000, says Vito Stellino.
• Two of Sims-Walker’s big players were easy gains, says John Baker.
• The Jaguars surprised the Chiefs with a switch back to a 4-3 defense, says Stellino.
• The switch back to 4-3 is the right way to go, says Vic Ketchman.
• Rookies played a key role, says Wright.
• Chris Chambers made an immediate impact for the Chiefs, says Garry Smits.
• Kansas City’s successful onside kick made for nervous moments, says Jeff Elliott.
• Frenette’s report card.
• At 4-4, Jack Del Rio is still thinking playoffs, says Cole Pepper.
• “There’s only so much bouncing back you can do before there’s no more bouncing to do,” cornerback Rashean Mathis said. “It’s something to hang your hat on, to know that we’re going to fight, but at the same time we have to learn to be consistent.” Matt Loede’s story.

Tennessee Titans

• While 2-6 is nothing to brag about, the Titans sure seem to be heading in the right direction, writes Jim Wyatt.
• A more aggressive defense is getting its groove back, says John Glennon.
• Justin Gage’s big day included two giant catches, writes Glennon.
• Chris Johnson’s 81-yard touchdown run was undone by replay, which showed he stepped out of bounds, say Wyatt and Glennon. Johnson and the Titans were sure his heel didn’t touch the boundary.
• Glennon’s four downs.
• Wyatt’s report card gives B's and better.
• Leroy Harris filled in well at right tackle, says Terry McCormick.
• The drops have stopped since Vince Young took over, blogs Wyatt.
• Gerald McRath talks about his first start, courtesy of Titans Radio.

	AP Photo/Tom Strattman
	Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell’s challenge on Texans’ running back Ryan Moats’ fumble out of the end zone was a crucial decision in the Colts win.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

INDIANAPOLIS -- The timing was exquisite. The execution flawless. The thinking airtight.

Yet another Peyton Manning pass play? Nope. Jim Caldwell’s toss of his red challenge flag late in the first half.

Week 9 Coverage • Kuharsky: Caldwell not challenged • Walker: Bengals are no joke • Yasinskas: Hargove plays through pain • Seifert: Bears at a loss • Sando: Cardinals hot and cold • Wojciechowski: Joke's on the Bears • Mosley: Defense carries Cowboys • Graham: Patriots pull away • Reiss: Patriots tame Wildcat • Clayton: Last Call • Pasquarelli: Rivers best for a night • MNF: On the same path | MN HQ • NFL Nation: Reactions | Wrap-ups | Live

Waiting until just before the first play after the two-minute warning to challenge, Caldwell understood the beneficial timing and outfoxed his Houston counterparts with a slow play.

His challenge and referee Jeff Triplette’s determination that Ryan Moats fumbled out of the end zone from the Indianapolis 1-yard line resulted in a touchback. They were pivotal moments in the Colts’ 20-17 win that kept their record spotless and kept Houston (5-4) from doing any dreaming about a scenario where it can challenge for the division title.

“That play turned out to be a perfect play for those guys, not so good for us,” said downtrodden cornerback Dunta Robinson, whose team is now 0-8 in Indy. “A lot of guys on the sideline were saying, ‘Run another play, run another play.’ Obviously our staff didn’t think it was a fumble. Those are things you’re not too sure about. I think it could have gone either way. We’re at their house, and that play went their way.”

For so much of the Manning and Bill Polian era, things have gone the Colts’ way. Good teams make their own good fortune, we hear time and time again on NFL Sundays. And here was a prime example that actually had nothing to do with the team’s stud quarterback or supremely gifted architect.

The Texans turned to Moats to minimize Steve Slaton’s opportunities to fumble and got the same result at a crucial moment.

Colts assistant offensive line coach Pete Metzelaars got a close look at the play which commenced with 2:30 on the clock and believed it could be judged differently upon review. Caldwell casually chatted with officials but ultimately waited until the two-minute break was over and the Texans were starting to line up for second-and-goal at the 1 before dropping the flag and officially getting the crew’s attention.

The Colts' coach didn’t get it all right. He thought Jerraud Powers had re-established himself in bounds and recovered the ball. But the piece of his interpretation that was wrong didn’t hurt him, while it was a different story on the other sideline.

Gary Kubiak and his people saw no cause for alarm. They could have called for Matt Schaub to run another play before the warning, either washing away the Colts’ chance to challenge or forcing Caldwell into a quicker decision than he would have liked, when he might have hesitated risking a timeout.

“We didn’t even know until the play had been stopped and it got to the two-minute warning that there was even an issue,” Kubiak said. “Then somebody in the press box said, ‘I think they’re looking at the ball right here.' We thought that Ryan was out of bounds. But the way it was explained to me was that the ball did come out, nobody argued that.

“We felt that players were out of bounds that were touching the ball. And what they said was that Ryan was on top of whoever that player was, so technically he’s not out of bounds, he’s still in the field of play.”

Now as we consider how the challenge unfolded we should note Caldwell and his staff had the luxury of time; Kubiak and his assistants did not.

After the play was over, there might have been 10 seconds until the tw0-minute warning stopped the clock. Is it reasonable to expect communication and decisiveness on such a hard-to-read situation in those 10 seconds, to expect Kubiak to know that the urgings of Robinson and others were not typical player hopefulness but an accurate read and to tell Schaub to run a play? Probably not.

But against the Colts, oftentimes things pan out that way: you get 10 seconds when they get 155. And if you don’t have the insight to make the quick interpretation in a less-than-advantageous situation, well tough luck, it all sorts out the way it so often does: in Indianapolis’ favor.

Antoine Bethea, the safety who jarred the ball free, said he knew it was a fumble and told the officials, but not Caldwell.

Players are always going to think things in a debatable situation went their way. But Bethea had a much clearer read on the situation than did Moats, and that ability to understand what did happen and what didn’t in the flash of an NFL-speed play is the sort of thing that helps make the Colts consistently good and leaves others striving to match them.

"I didn’t know it was an issue,” Moats said. “I thought I was out of bounds."

Not exactly Bill Bradley’s famous “A Sense of Where You Are.”

And developments that may well have changed the outcome of the game.

“Momentum was going their way, they were moving the ball on us and we had kind of stuttered a little bit on offense,” Indianapolis guard Ryan Lilja said. “Our defense got some big turnovers, that one included. I don’t know if that was the defining moment of the game, but that was huge. That’s seven points for them. That makes it a whole different ball game. We lucked out on that one. That’s the bottom line, we lucked out.”

Nice of him to say. But it was a whole lot more than that.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

INDIANAPOLIS -- One giant difference between the Colts and Texans Sunday was penalties.

The Texans had 13 for 103 yards that gave the Colts six first downs, while Indianapolis had just four for 40 yards in its 20-17 win. Three of the Texans' violations were neutral-zone infractions -- against Antonio Smith, Jacoby Jones and Connor Barwin.

That’s a big factor when it comes to winning like Indy did or losing like Houston.

"We had three [neutral-zone infractions], we had a couple special-teams penalties once again, which have been hurting us all year long, we had a couple holding calls,” Houston coach Gary Kubiak said. “We did overcome a few of those if I am correct. But anytime you have 13 penalties for 100 yards on the road, you’re just kind of adding to your problems of playing on the road.”

As for the neutral zone ...

“I just know a lot of guys were getting warned on one side and there were penalties on the other,” Texans right tackle Eric Winston said. “You can’t be in the neutral zone first of all. I just keep hearing, '98 [Robert Mathis] scoot back, 98 scoot back.' I guess if you’re doing the penalties you’re going to get called.”

Said Smith: “When they got to doing hurry-up counts and you’re trying to get focused on getting lined up and different things and also trying to focus on rushing the passer, sometimes you tend to get lax on where you’re lined up. And then the rest of it is all on the refs, when they decide to call it.

“They’ll give you a couple warnings, a couple warnings, then bam, they are going to get you. They warned us a couple times. But when you get into that mode and everything is moving so fast you’ve got to focus on the details and that’s something we’ve got to get better at.”

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

INDIANAPOLIS -- It’s hard to be surprised when the Colts make things go right at the end because it’s so common.

The Texans had two chances to get at least to overtime at Lucas Oil Stadium.

A blitzing Gary Brackett forcing a bad throw by Matt Schaub that was picked by Clint Session to end the first. A near perfect drive got Kris Brown in range of a 42-yard field goal on the game’s final play, and he missed it, just left, to give the Colts a 20-17 win instead of an overtime period.

A great win for the home team and a big disappointment for the visitors.

It wasn’t a death blow for Houston’s playoff chances by any means. And the Texans won’t have to wait long to test themselves against Indy again. After a bye and Monday nighter at home against the Titans, the Texans host the Colts Nov. 29 at Reliant Stadium.

But with the Colts at 8-0 and Houston at 5-4, it’s certainly safe to say the division belongs to Indianapolis, no matter how challenging Indy’s schedule gets with games against New England and at Baltimore between now and then.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Texans have taken a 17-13 lead on the Colts by staying patient, continuing to run the ball, and not panicking when things looked dire.

The TD was a third-down, Steve Slaton 1-yard run.

It’s the sign of a good team to endure such things -- even self-inflicted wounds, like all their penalties.

But the story of any close game against the Colts is about what Peyton Manning does -- or what you can stop him from doing -- late in the game.

We’re just a few seconds into the fourth quarter.

Indy’s bound to score again, and the Texans’ challenge is far from over.

Good game.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Houston Texans spent a good segment of the first half reeling. But they held Indy to field goals on two scoring chances, and even losing the ball on the doorstep after a great Colts challenge, they only trail 13-3 at the half.

Some questions as we await the second-half kickoff:

• Peyton Manning has thrown 40 passes. Is Drew Bledsoe’s NFL record of 70 attempts in danger?
• Ryan Moats started and is playing a lot because of Steve Slaton’s fumble problems. But Moats fumbled on the play that was sorted out by the challenge. Does anything change in the Texans' approach to the run game now?
• How might this game be different if Mario Williams’ second-quarter breakup of a Manning pass for Dallas Clark was picked? It would have taken incredible reflexes by Williams, but it almost happened, and if he collected it, he might have taken it for a TD.
• Why are the Texans having problems understanding the neutral zone and how to stay out of it?
• Can Houston get a handle on penalties or does it want to keep giving the Colts bonus yards?
• Have we seen the best of Clark against Brian Cushing?
• Does Jim Caldwell regret "icing" Kris Brown on the field goal attempt that was blocked, leaving the door open for a second-chance make from 51 yards before the half?
• Will anyone this season be able to hold Dwight Freeney without a sack?

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Colts offense is playing at a furious pace at the start of their AFC South matchup with the Texans. It always plays fast. This is super-fast.

Peyton Manning is regularly receiving the snap with more than 20 seconds still on the 40-second play clock. Indy petered out on its first drive with a failed fourth-down attempt, but marched 12 plays and 79 yards on its second possession to a 7-yard TD reception by Joseph Addai to grab a 7-0 lead.

Can the Texans defense keep up with the pace? Houston's offense is going to have to do some driving to offset it.

It’s a significant storyline at Lucas Oil Stadium heading forward.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

INDIANAPOLIS -- On a day when the Colts are recovering from a bad week of injury news, the Texans will have both Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson in a game against Indianapolis for the first time. Ever.

No giant surprises on Houston’s inactive list:

• Quarterback Dan Orlovsky
• Receiver Glenn Martinez
• Cornerback Fred Bennett
• Safety Dominique Barber
• Defensive tackle DelJuan Robinson
• Guard Tutan Reyes
• Tight end James Casey
• Defensive tackle Frank Okam

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Colts are starting Kyle DeVan, who’s been rotating a lot with Mike Pollak, at right guard Sunday against the Texans.

He will be blocking for Joseph Addai and maybe Chad Simpson or Mike Hart, but not Donald Brown, who’s out for the second game in a row with a shoulder injury.

Here are Indy’s inactives:

• Kicker Adam Vinatieri
• Quarterback Curtis Painter
• Receiver Anthony Gonzalez
• Cornerback Kelvin Hayden
• Running back Donald Brown
• Tackle Tony Ugoh
• Defensive tackle Fili Moala
• Tight end Tom Santi

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

Failed third downs frustrate any offense. But nothing’s worse for a team trying to establish an offensive rhythm than repeated three-and-outs.

And no defense in the league has done better at forcing three-and-outs than the Houston Texans.

Houston’s not allowed a first down on 47.9 percent of its opponents' drives, a strong number that leads the league with New England second at 44.2 percent and is 13 percent better than any other team in the AFC South.

“That’s really big for us. I think that’s setting a tone to let teams know we’re going to be in the right places,” strong safety Bernard Pollard said. “We’re not going to stop everything. These guys get paid a lot of money to make first downs …. It’s just been great for us that we’ve been getting them off the field and we’ve got to continue to do that if we want to win.”

But the Texans meet the Colts Sunday. And on the other side of the ball, Indianapolis is fourth-best at avoiding three-and-outs. The Colts' offense goes three-and-out only 28.4 percent of the time.

If the Texans can force the Colts to punt after only three snaps a couple of times at Lucas Oil Stadium it will do a lot to bolster their chances at an upset.

But you know how it goes. They can force three in a row and Peyton Manning can wash them all away with one huge play on the fourth series.

Offenses ranked by % of drives without a first down Team Pct. Dallas 20.3 Green Bay 28.0 N.Y. Giants 28.1 Indianapolis 28.4 Pittsburgh 30.7 New England 30.8 Denver 31.2 Baltimore 32.0 San Diego 32.0 Jacksonville 32.5 Atlanta 32.5 Miami 32.9 Washington 32.9 Houston 33.3 New Orleans 34.1 Arizona 36.3 Detroit 36.4 Minnesota 36.6 Buffalo 36.8 Philadelphia 36.8 Seattle 37.3 Carolina 38.1 Kansas City 38.8 St. Louis 39.5 Chicago 39.5 N.Y. Jets 40.8 Tennessee 41.6 Cincinnati 41.8 Cleveland 44.0 San Francisco 48.8 Oakland 50.5 Tampa Bay 51.2

Defenses ranked by % of drives without a first down Team Pct. Houston 47.9 New England 44.2 Arizona 42.9 Philadelphia 42.9 N.Y. Giants 42.1 Chicago 42.0 Seattle 41.5 Green Bay 40.5 Minnesota 40.4 Kansas City 40.0 New Orleans 39.8 N.Y. Jets 39.3 Washington 37.2 Baltimore 36.7 Dallas 36.1 San Francisco 36.0 Buffalo 35.6 San Diego 35.5 Denver 34.2 Indianapolis 34.2 Cincinnati 34.1 Cleveland 33.3 Miami 33.3 Pittsburgh 32.9 Tennessee 32.2 Jacksonville 31.6 Atlanta 31.1 Carolina 30.4 Oakland 29.8 St. Louis 28.7 Tampa Bay 26.3 Detroit 24.4

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

The Colts lost strongside linebacker Tyjuan Hagler, cornerback Marlin Jackson and safety Bob Sanders for the season with injuries this week.

[Update: Adam Schefter reports Sanders has a torn biceps tendon that will end his season.]

The team also announced news Wednesday that receiver Anthony Gonzalez just had surgery and Mike Chappell also reports Kelvin Hayden may miss up to four weeks with his knee injury.

Indianapolis may be the best next-man-up team in the league, and it’s a testament to their depth.

Here’s a quick review of the guys who will be expected to do more with those holes in the lineup

Strongside linebacker Philip Wheeler: He’s a bit bigger than Hagler and was the presumed starter through the offseason and training camp. He couldn’t hold on to the job then, however. I did this entry on Wheeler back in June. A lot of Colts linebackers, like weakside starter Clint Session, have started off a bit slowly but really blossomed with some time in the system. The hope is that’s the case for Wheeler now.

Cornerback Tim Jennings: Rookies Jerraud Power and Jacob Lacey are in line to start and they’ve played very well in extensive opportunities. The third guy, Tim Jennings, hasn’t been as good and the fourth guy, T.J. Rushing is known as a returner, not a defensive back. Maybe the Texans to try get the Colts into their nickel and to do what they can to go after Jennings.

Strong safety Melvin Bullitt: He’s not the physical presence of Sanders, but Bullitt’s played a lot with all of Sanders’ injuries. He’s a fine player who will show up in the right spots and make plays. I can’t ever recall watching a play and thinking he looked bad.

Receiver Pierre Garcon: After a big start Garcon’s come back to earth a bit the last few games. The Colts would benefit from him regaining his confidence and playing as he did early in the season. Even if he doesn’t, with Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and rookie Austin Collie producing, the team’s done better than many expected without Gonzalez, who’s been out since suffering a knee injury early in the season opener.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

Like many NFL followers, I was hoping Sunday’s Texans-Colts game would give us a chance to see both Dallas Clark and Owen Daniels, two of the league’s very best tight ends.

Unfortunately Daniels suffered a season-ending knee injury last week and won’t be a part of it.

I wonder how much his absence the rest of the season will affect the remarkable pace of tight ends around the league this year.

Clark is tied for fourth in the NFL with 46 catches and ranks seventh in yardage (584); Daniels is tied for ninth with 40 catches and is 15th in yards (519).

In all, tight ends are 14 of the top 51 pass-catchers and 12 of the top 51 in receiving yards and six of the top 51 in scoring.

According to the NFL, tight ends are on pace to break the NFL season record for the most receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches for the position.

Through Week 8, tight ends have totaled 1,018 receptions, 11,280 receiving yards and 87 touchdown receptions.

Can the fraternity pick up the slack from losing Daniels and still break those records? I suspect so.