The Texans defense came up with a stop late in Sunday's loss. Four times.

But it was a little too late, as the Colts were able to score four touchdowns in the first three quarters of Sunday's 30-23 win over Houston. After finding the end zone on four of the first seven possessions, the Colts were stonewalled in the final quarter, punting on four straight possessions.

Three of those four drives were 3-and-outs, while a fourth drive saw Indianapolis pick up a first down on its' first play of the possession, and then punt four plays later.

Through three quarters of play Sunday, the Texans defense saw Jacoby Brissett complete 22-of-30 pass attempts for 298 yards and a quartet of scores. In the fourth quarter, he completed 4-of-9 passes for 28 yards. One was a 26-yard completion, while the other three went for five yards, one yard, and a loss of four yards.

"We made some adjustments," head coach Bill O'Brien said Monday. "We did a better job of covering some of the routes they were running."

Outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus, who recovered a fumble, and logged half a sack against Indianapolis, explained the defense's mental approach in the late going.

"We just settled down," Mercilus said. "When it came down to the wire we understood that the game was on the line for sure. We said, 'We've just got to play it one play at a time and do our job.'"

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph left the game with an injury Sunday, after missing the win at Kansas City last week. After the loss to the Colts, he said if he has "a chance, it's more than likely that I will play," against the Raiders. Whether he plays against Oakland or not, the veteran cornerback wants to see consistency from the defense.

"Don't be an up-and-down defense," Joseph said. "Be a consistent defense throughout four quarters. It's a long year and we've got to learn from it, because this back half is an important stretch for us."

Houston hosts the Raiders at NRG Stadium this Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT.