Houston wide receiver Stefon Diggs went down with a non-contact knee injury in the second half of their 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon.
Diggs went to cut a route late in the third quarter at NRG Stadium and his right knee buckled. He started jumping around reaching for his knee before falling onto the field, clearly in a lot of pain. Diggs finally got up and walked to the locker room.
The Texans initially said he was questionable to return with a knee injury, but ruled him out late in the fourth quarter. Details about his injury are not known.
Diggs entered this season with 415 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 42 catches, his first with the Texans. He had a team-high 81 yards on five catches when he went down.
Texans fend off Colts late
Anthony Richardson and the Colts came close to rallying on Sunday afternoon.
After entering halftime down seven — thanks to a huge 14-point second quarter from the Texans — the Colts pulled within a field goal on a one-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Taylor midway through the fourth quarter. That touchdown was set up by a wild 25-yard catch by Josh Downs, who nearly scored himself before the play was called after a review at the half-yard line. Downs managed to reach back and get the ball straight over Texans safety Jalen Pitre.
C.J. Stroud and the Texans put together a long eight-play drive that lasted more than five minutes and got them into the red zone to respond, and looked ready to score again and put the game away.
However, that was the moment the Texans almost gave it away. Stroud went to throw the ball to Joe Mixon, who chatted the ball straight into the arms of Colts defenseman Dayo Odeyingbo. After pressing the ball against his face mask, Odeyingbo ran it all the way back to the opposite end zone — even though a review showed he was down due to contact.
However, the Texans quickly backed Richardson up almost in his own end zone after a sack, which forced an Indianapolis punt. Although the Colts got the ball back one last time after the Texans punted it away, they did not have enough time to get into field goal position and attempt to extend the game. The Texans held on and stole away with the three-point win.
Richardson was just 10 of 32 for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss to the Colts, who fell to 4-4 on the year. Taylor finished with 105 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, and Downs had 109 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches.
Stroud finished throwing 25 of 37 for 285 yards with a touchdown for the Texans. Mixon had 102 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. The Texans now have a 6-2 record and are a perfect 4-0 at home this season. They will take on the New York Jets on Thursday night.