CJ Stroud threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday night and the Houston Texans stopped the Indianapolis Colts on a late drive to secure a 23-19 win in Indianapolis and a spot in the AFC playoffs next weekend.
Devin Singletary's tiebreaking 3-yard run up the middle snapped a 17-17 tie with 6:20 left in the game.
Houston (10-7) completed an improbable journey from the second overall pick in last year's draft to the postseason, thanks to Stroud and first-year coach DeMeco Ryans.
The Colts (9-8) drove to the Texans' 15-yard line on their final possession and faced 4th-and-1. After using a timeout, they opted for a pass play, but Tyler Goodson couldn't hold Gardner Minshew's throw in the left flat that probably would have gained first down yardage.
Stroud completed 20 of 26 passes.
The Texans, who last made the playoffs in 2019, could win the AFC South and earn a first-round home game next weekend if Jacksonville loses Sunday at Tennessee.
Minshew was 13 of 24 passing for 141 yards, while Jonathan Taylor piled up 188 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. His 49-yard run and Minshew's two-point conversion pass to Mo Alie-Cox boosted Indianapolis into a 14-14 tie with 9:56 remaining in the third quarter.
But Taylor's heroics weren't enough to prevent the Colts from being eliminated from postseason consideration.
Mason Rudolph connected with Diontae Johnson for a go-ahead 71-yard touchdown and the Pittsburgh Steelers took one step closer to a playoff berth by beating the host Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in their regular-season finale on Saturday night.
Rudolph completed 18 of 20 passes for 152 yards, and Najee Harris racked up 112 yards and a rushing touchdown on 26 carries for Pittsburgh, which outgained Baltimore 289-224 amid
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