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Only a couple of minutes had passed in the first quarter when CBS announcer Solomon Wilcots made this observation about Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning: He’s like a shark, because he attacks when he smells blood in the water.
Maybe Wilcots was just pretending to be George Costanza pretending to be a marine biologist. Or maybe he was just recycling an old cliche used by countless announcers before him. Either way, he got it all wrong. Not to question Wilcots’ knowledge of aquatic life, but for the Houston Texans at least, Manning has been more like their white whale — an uncatchable obsession always on the horizon.The Texans have never had a winning season. They’ve never been to the playoffs. And their inability to beat the division-rival Colts has been a big reason why. Every time the Texans come close, Manning and the Colts slip away. They did it again Sunday in a 20-17 victory as kicker Kris Brown’s 42-yard attempt to tie it as time expired sailed wide left.The Texans are now 1-14 all-time against the Colts and winless in Indianapolis.Consider these frustrating moments for the Texans on Sunday:They committed 13 penalties for 103 yards.Sage Rosenfels, a former goat in the series, wasn’t around this year, but he was there in spirit in the form of an inexplicable turnover. After the Colts scored their first touchdown, Houston tried to match it on the first play. Matt Schaub threw deep to Andre Johnson. One small problem: Johnson was triple covered and the pass was intercepted. The Colts were missing three starters in the secondary and the league still only allows 11 players on the field, so someone else might have been open on the play. Running back Ryan Moats, who was given the start because of Steve Slaton’s fumbling problems, fumbled at the 1-yard line late in the first half to give the Colts a touchback. Moats was originally ruled down on the play, but instead of running a play, the Texans waited for the 2-minute warning. The extra time gave the Colts a chance to challenge the call.The Texans didn’t take advantage when the Colts made the bizarre decision of calling a trick play that put the ball in wide receiver Reggie Wayne’s hands for a pass attempt. (Um, isn’t Manning a good enough passer? He does have more than 40,000 yards passing this decade.) Wayne’s wobbly pass into coverage was intercepted, but the Texans went three-and-out and the Colts scored the go-ahead touchdown on the next drive.With the Texans driving in the fourth quarter, Colts linebacker Gary Brackett hit Schaub’s arm and the ball fluttered to Clint Session for the interception. Two plays after Session’s interception, Antonio Smith hit Manning in the pocket, jarring the football loose. Defensive end Mario Williams didn’t see the ball on the ground, and Colts offensive tackle Ryan Diem fell on it. The Colts kept possession, ate up a little more clock, forced the Texans to use their final timeout and gained some important field position with a punt.
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