A dominant opening quarter has seen the Indianapolis Colts earn a 27-14 advantage at the halfway stage of their clash with the Houston Texans.
The Colts took the lead early in the first quarter when Andrew Luck drove his side downfield, but they were forced to settle for a field goal from the boot of Adam Vinatieri from 27 yards.
Chuck Pagano's side did score a touchdown on their next drive when Pat McAfee executed a perfect onside kick to regain possession for the visitors. Luck capitalised as he hit T.Y. Hilton on a deep route, before Trent Richardson ran in for a five-yard score.
The Colts continued their assault on the Texans as they went further ahead when Houston committed a penalty to put the visitors within five yards of the endzone. Luck fired to Ahmad Bradshaw in the flat and he ran in for an easy touchdown.
Further misery would be piled on Houston in the closing stages of the first quarter when Luck picked out Coby Fleener as Indianapolis extended their advantage to 24-0.
After being on the wrong end of one-way traffic for a long spell, the Texans started their response when Ryan Fitzpatrick finished a long drive by finding Andre Johnson for his side's first touchdown.
The Texans continued to rally as the Colts invited more pressure, and Arian Foster cashed in by rushing over to reduce the deficit even further.
Indianapolis pushed back in an attempt to restore a bigger lead, but were forced to settle for another Vinatieri field goal just before the interval.
Simon Sinclair
