Indianapolis Colts fall to Houston Texans in 29-27 loss

The Indianapolis Colts fell to the Houston Texans at home in a Week 1 roller coaster. Despite several 50+ yard touchdowns and a valiant effort from the Colts defense, the game ended with heartbreaking echoes of their season-ending loss to the Texans last year.

The Good

Anthony Richardson

Quarterback Anthony Richardson likely silenced a lot of critics today with one impressive throw after another. He started with a whopping 60-yard throw to Alec Pierce in the first quarter, followed by another 50+ yard pass to Ashton Dulin in the third. The pass to Pierce was especially impressive, as Richardson slipped after the hike, and not only recovered instantly, but was able to find Pierce and get the ball to him. All together, Richardson had three air bombs, as well as rushing for a touchdown, and his performance today should prove why he is the leader this team needs.

Pass Rush

The Colts needed their defense to keep the pressure on C.J. Stroud, and they did that... and then some. He was sacked four times, and by the end of the game, he was clearly flustered. There were 10 hits on top of the four sacks, and the Texans struggled much more on their pass game than their run game.

Special Teams

One of the touchdowns was a direct result of a fantastic job by the Colts' special teams. Segun Olubi blocked a punt in the third quarter, immediately setting up the Colts for a touchdown from Jonathan Taylor on the very next play.

The Bad

Run Defense

While the pass defense kept C.J. Stroud sweating, the run defense seemed to be on vacation today. The Texans had more than double the rushing yards as the Colts, with Joe Mixon in particular having a monster day, with 119 yards and a touchdown over 21 carries.

Jonathan Taylor

Taylor was able to score today, but ultimately, it was a lackluster day for him. He had a mere 48 yards with 16 carries, and the Colts needed to have a more dynamic offense to keep the Texans defense on their toes today.

The Losing Streak

The Colts' 11-game losing streak continues, with the last Week 1 win coming in 2013.

What's Next?

The Colts will head to Green Bay to take on the Packers, who are also 0-1, next week. The Packers will be without Jordan Love, and though the Colts lost today, they still showed a lot of promise - meaning this is one team that no one should be too eager to count out.