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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Frank Reich mastered the art of the comeback while playing quarterback.He cemented his reputation Sunday night.Nearly 11 months after accepting the job Josh McDaniels spurned Youth Skai Moore Jersey , Indianapolis‘ backup choice completed one of the most remarkable midseason turnarounds in league history by leading the Colts to their first playoff berth since 2014.“That was the silver lining, if you will, of a 1-5 start,” Reich said Monday, referring to his players’ ability to ignore distractions and focus on the upcoming task. “As I have alluded to and some players have alluded to, we’ve been in this— for lack of a better word — playoff mode for a while, kind of with our backs against the wall.”It’s only the third time an NFL team has rebounded from such an abysmal start to make the postseason — adding another chapter to Reich’s uncanny tale.In November 1984, he replaced Stan Gelbaugh after Maryland fell into a 31-0 halftime deficit at No. 6 Miami and wound up throwing six second-half touchdown passes to give the Terrapins a 42-40 victory — then the largest comeback in Division I history.In January 1993, Reich replaced the injured Jim Kelly in Buffalo’s wild-card round game and rallied the two-time defending AFC champs from a 35-3 deficit to beat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime for the largest comeback in NFL history.So when McDaniels reneged on his deal to take over the Colts two days after the Patriots lost to Philadelphia in the Super Bowl, Colts general manager Chris Ballard turned to Reich.“The backup role has suited me well in my career,” Reich joked in February at his introductory news conference.But a consistent message helped keep players and coaches composed, too.The result: Indy (10-6) won nine of its last 10 Skai Moore Jersey Stitched , beating two division champions and taking the regular-season finale at Tennessee to earn the AFC’s No. 6 seed.Reich is the fourth consecutive Colts coach to reach the playoffs in his first season as coach, joining Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell and Chuck Pagano, and now takes a team full of confidence to Houston (11-5) for a wild-card round game Saturday.“I don’t think there was anything crazy different that happened,” left tackle Anthony Castonzo said Sunday when asked about the turnaround. “Guys just maybe focused on their job a little more, and had a little bit more urgency. It didn’t really seem like a moment where anything was different. It was just staying that course.”The first indication things were changing emerged in early October when Indy’s oft-criticized offensive line suddenly began playing better. For five games and 239 consecutive drop backs, the Colts didn’t allow a sack. They finished this season allowing a league-low 18 after giving up a league-high 56 in 2017.There were other changes, too.Marlon Mack rushed for more than 100 yards four times, the highest total by a Colts running back since Joseph Addai had four 100-yard games in 2007. Tight end Eric Ebron fulfilled the potential scouts saw when he was in college.And, of course, there was Andrew Luck’s resurgence, too.After missing the entire 2017 season because of a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder Youth Anthony Walker Jersey , he wound up finishing with career highs in completions (430), attempts (639), completion rate (67.3 percent) and rating (98.7) and producing his second-best totals in yards passing (4,593) and TDs (39).“This really has been a fulfilling road to this point,” Luck said. “I’m not satisfied. We certainly have business to take care of.”The defense also came up big.Rookie Darius Leonard led the league in tackles with a franchise-record 163 and Indy has allowed just 16.4 points over its past eight games, prompting some to conclude that Reich may have found his magical touch just in time for another playoff run.Reich, though, is simply sticking to the plan.“It’s all based on the habits you have formed,” he said. “That focus and vision is on getting better every day and then beating the next opponent. That is all that really matters. That’s the mindset we’ve been in. That’s the mindset we need to maintain.”Notes: Indy signed safety Rolan Milligan to the practice squad and released linebacker Tegray Scales. … The Colts also signed guard William Poehls to a reserve/future contract. The 6-foot-8, 344-pound offensive lineman was on Jacksonville’s active roster in 2017, but was waived by the Jaguars on Sept. 1. HOUSTON (0-3) at INDIANAPOLIS (1-2)Sunday, 1 p.m. ET Anthony Walker Jersey Stitched , CBSOPENING LINE - Pick-emRECORD VS. SPREAD - Houston 0-3, Indianapolis 2-1SERIES RECORD - Colts lead 25-7LAST MEETING - Colts beat Texans 22-13, Dec. 31, 2017LAST WEEK - Texans lost to Giants 27-22; Colts lost to Eagles 20-16AP PRO32 RANKING - Texans No. 30, Colts No. 26TEXANS OFFENSE - OVERALL (8), RUSH (8), PASS (13).TEXANS DEFENSE - OVERALL (16), RUSH (20), PASS (14).COLTS OFFENSE - OVERALL (28), RUSH (29), PASS (23).COLTS DEFENSE - OVERALL (18), RUSH (15) Youth Kenny Moore Jersey , PASS (15).STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Texans have lost league-high nine straight and are one of three winless teams in NFL this season. ... Houston's last win came Nov. 19 vs. Arizona. ... Deshaun Watson is first Texans quarterback with back-to-back 300-yard games since Matt Schaub in 2012. ... Watson has connected with Will Fuller for TD pass in seven straight games. ... WR DeAndre Hopkins has caught at least one pass in all 82 games played. ... DE-OLB Jadeveon Clowney needs two tackles for loss to reach 50 in career. ... S Kareem Jackson needs one interception to tie Johnathan Joseph's franchise record (14). ... DE J.J. Watt has eight sacks against Andrew Luck, second-highest total of any active quarterback behind only Blake Bortles (nine). ... Since 2014, Texans are league-best 21-1 when leading at halftime and have held opponents to league-low 34.2 percent on third-down conversions. ...Indy swept last season's two-game series after losing three straight to Houston and is 14-2 at home against Houston. ... Colts' next win will be No. 300 since moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984. ... K Adam Vinatieri needs one field goal to break Morten Andersen's NFL record (565). Vinatieri also needs three field goal attempts to pass Gary Anderson (672) for second all-time and one game played to pass George Blanda (340) for No. 4. ... Luck has thrown TD pass in league-best 26 consecutive games and needs one more game to tie Peyton Manning for No. 2 in franchise history. ... Luck also needs 260 yards passing to reach 20,000 and 16 yards rushing for 1,500 in career. ... WR T.Y. Hilton needs two catches for 450. ... Indy ranks sixth in sacks allowed (five), while defense is tied for fourth in sacks (10). ... Colts also have most tackles for loss (22) in NFL this season. ... Rookie LB Darius Leonard has 31 tackles last two weeks and leads NFL with 41. ... Fantasy tip: Hilton has historically played well against Texans. With Luck back, Colts looking for more big plays and Houston struggling, Luck and Hilton could have another big day against familiar foe.
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