Colts looking to get revenge, push Houston out of first place in Week 14

Dwayne Allen and Chuck Pagano were shocked by the Colts' loss to the Texans in October. AP Photo/George Bridges

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- There's no need for a reminder. The Indianapolis Colts know what happened on that Sunday night in Houston on Oct. 23.

A victory looked like a sure thing. They had a 14-point lead with three minutes remaining. But then the biggest collapse under coach Chuck Pagano occurred, and the Colts ended up losing to the Texans in overtime.

But now the Colts have the opportunity to avenge that loss with the stakes being even higher. A victory will keep the Colts in first place in the AFC South and will send Houston to its fourth straight loss.

"Do I think about what happened before? Hell yeah," Colts safety Mike Adams emphatically said. "I don't need a refresher on that. We had that game. We know we had it. There's no need to sugarcoat it. We have to have it this weekend. We need it back."

The Colts moved into a three-way tie with the Texans and Tennessee in the division when they beat the Jets on Monday and Houston lost at Green Bay the day before.

I'm not going to lie," running back Frank Gore said. "I know I was looking at the Houston Texans game (Sunday). Just knowing that they lost meant that we had a big chance to get into the situation we're in now with a win."

That loss in October was one of the lowest points in the Pagano era. They went from looking like they were going to send a message to the defending AFC South champions to looking like they weren't capable of winning the division by the end of the game.

Oh how things have changed.

The Colts and Texans are headed in completely opposite directions. Houston is in the midst of a nasty three-game losing streak with no signs of getting out of its rut. Indianapolis has won three of its last four games.

"It took a toll, no doubt, when it first happened," Colts linebacker Erik Walden said about the first meeting. "But we're over it. It's all about now. We're tied for first with a wonderful opportunity ahead of us. We have to just take advantage of it."

The biggest difference between the two teams now?

Look no further than the quarterback play, which will likely be the deciding factor when it comes down to determining who will win the division when it's all said and done.

The Colts have won their last three games with Andrew Luck starting and Houston's financial investment (four years, $72 million) in Brock Osweiler isn't paying off.

Osweiler can't say the same about carrying a team because this is foreign territory for him. He has 13 interceptions to 14 touchdowns on the season.Luck, who has thrown for 2,827 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 62.9 percent of his pass attempts, has been in the position of having to carry a team before. He was 22-of-28 for 278 with four touchdowns and a career-best 147.6 quarterback rating against the Jets.

The Texans have scored more than two offensive touchdowns in a game just once this season and are averaging only 17.3 points a game compared to the 25.9 points a game the Colts average.

"We know last we played them we let one slip away," receiver T.Y. Hilton said. "It's a game we're going to have to win to go into the playoffs. It's going to be a tough game, but we're at home, so we should be fine."