Colts vs. Texans will set up a fun rookie matchup in Week 1
The Indianapolis Colts will take on the Houston Texans in Week 1, creating what should be the first of many matchups between the team’s top picks.
On Thursday, the NFL schedule was revealed and the Indianapolis Colts will open the season on the road against the Houston Texans.
There’s no need to pretend that this is a great matchup or an intriguing game. At least it shouldn’t be. The Colts and Texans are in entirely different places as franchises and Indy has been dominating Houston.
Indianapolis has won the last four matchups, and last season, Indy won the two divisional games by a combined score of 62-3. There should be a similar outcome this season and the Colts should win a season opener for the first time since 2013.
However, there is something fun that this matchup possesses. Week 1 will be the first of many meetings between the teams’ top two draft picks.
The Texans selected cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. third-overall in this year’s Draft and Indianapolis drafted wide receiver Alec Pierce with its first pick in the second round.
https://twitter.com/pff_colts/status/1524841848962854912?s=21&t=w7OCampT3Unmjc-O8wBKYg
Alec Pierce and Derek Stingley will face off in Week 1
The Colts needed a wide receiver and they got that in Alec Pierce. Houston needed a lot so they selected one of the best players in the Draft in Stingley.
Pierce is a 6-foot-3 receiver that can run fast and jump high. He specializes in downfield jump balls and will hopefully provide Indy’s passing offense with some explosiveness.
Stingley was selected by the Texans to stop all of the elite receivers in the NFL. That’s what he did at the collegiate level. Entering LSU, Stingley already looked like a perfect corner as a freshman.
He struggled with injuries in his final two seasons but that wasn’t enough for Houston to overlook his elite skill set. Now, he will start applying that skillset in the NFL against the Colts.
Both rookies will want to get their careers started with a great game, but if they are matched up a lot, one of them will have a better debut than the other.
The game is a few months away but the matchup is something to think about as the season approaches.
