3 winners (and 2 losers) in the Indianapolis Colts game against the Houston Texans

The Indianapolis Colts kicked off Week 1 with a 29-27 loss to the Houston Texans, making it 11 years since the Colts have won an opening game. It was a high-stakes game for the Colts, who were looking to prove they could be contenders for AFC South champions.

Despite a roller coaster game, the Texans ultimately managed to walk away with the win in a crushing loss. The Colts managed to make it a competitive game, but ultimately couldn't best their division rival.

Here are three winners, and two losers, from Sunday's Week 1 Texans-Colts game.

Winner: Alec Pierce

Wide receiver Alec Pierce had a career-high game Sunday, despite having largely been overlooked before now. He racked up three receptions for 125 yards, and the potential he showed during training camp this summer turned into exactly what the Colts needed to see.

"That explosiveness, that's what we were talking about, carrying that stuff over from training camp into the season," head coach Shane Steichen said. "And obviously he made some big-time plays for us down the field today."

Winner: Anthony Richardson

Richardson didn't have a perfect game on Sunday. He struggled with consistency, finishing with just a 47.4% completion rate and a red-zone interception, he still showed a lot of promise. There were his numerous 50+ yard passes, even during one play when he slipped, recovered, and still managed a 60-yard throw to Pierce. Ultimately, though Richardson had some trouble, it's worth noting that he's still a relatively new quarterback who doesn't have much experience. Sunday, though, he showed just how much power and potential he has.

"That's just physical ability, launching that ball down the field," Steichen said. "There's not many guys that can do that."

Winners: Colts Pass Rush

If the Colts wanted a prayer of winning, they needed to keep pressure on C.J. Stroud... and they did. The pressure was on Stroud constantly, including four sacks and 10 hits. By the fourth quarter, Stroud was clearly getting frustrated, and the pass rush defense kept the Colts in contention

Losers: Rush Defense

Before Sunday, the Colts defense did a great job on rush defense; they didn't allow a 150-yard rusher in over 50 games. But on Week 1, Joe Mixon ran all over them for 159 yards. Comparatively, the Texans only gained 112 rush yards total in both of their games against the Colts last season. That's something the defense is going to seriously have to work on.

"They did a great job rushing the ball today," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "As a D-line, we gotta do a better job with getting off blocks, obviously, not having too many busts when we're blitzing or whatever it is. We kind of beat ourselves."

Losers: Jonathan Taylor and the Offensive Line

Taylor is a dynamic player, but he did not have a great game Sunday. He only managed to get 48 yards on 16 carries, and the Colts needed the run game to complement the explosiveness of their pass game. The offensive line couldn't contain the Texans interior defensive line, and as a result, Taylor couldn't get any traction.

Altogether, the Colts put up a good fight, but they weren't able to bring it home for a win. There signs of promise throughout the game, though, and they were able to prove that, despite the loss, it's too early to count the Colts out yet.