Week 2 NFL Power Rankings: Where do the Colts measure up now?

The Indianapolis Colts were looking to make a big statement during their Sunday matchup against the Houston Texans. Not only were they looking to avenge a season-ending loss last year, they had a 10-year opening game losing streak they were looking to break. The Texans are also widely assumed to be the frontrunners to win the AFC South, and a Texans loss on Sunday would have sent a big message that the Colts shouldn't be counted out.

Unfortunately, the Colts lost in a 29-27 nailbiter, keeping hopes alive until the very last second. But despite some genuinely exciting flashes of brilliance on both offense and defense, they weren't able to bring home the win. With incredible plays from Colts like Anthony Richardson, Alec Pierce, and Segun Olubi, though, Colts fans shouldn't necessarily be looking towards the rest of the season without optimism.

So for the Week 2 NFL power rankings, what does Sunday's mixed-bag loss mean for the Colts? Read on to see where experts have ranked Indianapolis.

Nate Davis, USA Today: #9 (+2)

"QB Anthony Richardson averaged more than 23 yards per completion and more than 9 yards per rush Sunday. But when you only run 43 plays, you're likely to run your league-worst Week 1 winless streak to 11 seasons."

Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated: #17 (-1)

"Juxtaposing C.J. Stroud’s spray chart with Anthony Richardson’s would seem to be a bit of cruelty but I disagree: I think Richardson has all the difficult parts of the QB game sorted out. He’s got God-given size and traits. Speed. Fearlessness. From there, learning to work the middle of the field should take time but it won’t be impossible. Shane Steichen has a kind of reverse Jalen Hurts surgery to perform on his quarterback but Sunday showed that both coach and QB are up for the challenge. "

Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: #22 (-1)

"They might not win many games, but they’ll be fun to watch this year."

Eric Edholm, NFL: #22 (-1)

"Anthony Richardson completed nine passes against the Texans, and the degree of difficulty on some of those nine was incredibly high -- none more than the 60-yard bomb to Alec Pierce. I’m not sure I’ve seen many more impressive throws, honestly. Richardson finished the game with three completions of 50-plus yards and runs of 10, 13 and 19 yards, plus a tough TD run late to keep the Colts in it. But he missed 10 of his 19 throws and threw a red-zone pick, and the Colts ran only 43 plays all game. Some of it was because of efficiency; they averaged 7.0 yards per play. But it also meant Houston controlled the clock with a stunning 2:1 ratio. Despite sacking C.J. Stroud four times, the Colts couldn’t get off the field defensively because of their poor tackling and run fills, something that wasn’t regarded as a problem area coming into the season. It was hardly a bad showing overall in Week 1, but I’m still not sure what to make of this team. "

Bleacher Report: #20 (+/- 0)

"On one hand, the only thing that mattered at the end of Sunday's matchup with the Houston Texans was that the Indianapolis Colts didn't have as many points. A loss is a loss. There are no moral victories. Insert cliché here.

But there were positives for the Colts, even in defeat. Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson completed just nine passes, but he posted a passer rating over 100 and had a hand in three Colts touchdowns. Indy hung in there until the very end of the game with a Texans team considered a Super Bowl contender by many.

After the loss, Colts head coach Shane Steichen told reporters that now a young Colts team needs to figure out how to pull out victories in close contests.

'It's going to be like this a lot, you know, there's going to be a lot of one-score games,' Steichen said. 'We've got to find ways at the end, offensively and defensively, to make the plays in critical situations.'

'The roller-coaster that is Anthony Richardson's play is a fun ride,' Sobleski wrote. 'Richardson flashed to the point where he's making plays other quarterbacks can't. For example, the sophomore signal-caller completed three passes of 50 or more yards on Sunday. Only six quarterbacks had more than three all of last season, according to Unexpected Points' Kevin Cole. Also, the 6'4", 250-plus-pound Richardson barreled his way through a defender into the end zone to keep the Colts within striking distance as the fourth quarter waned. However, Richardson's consistency must improve. He completed less than 50 percent of his attempts. Once this 22-year-old phenom hits the easy passes as well as the spectacular throws, he'll elevate the entire Colts roster.'"

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: #23 (-1)

"Anthony Richardson hit some big plays to keep the Colts in the game against the Texans, but the defense wasn't good. The run defense was gashed, which could be a major problem going forward."

Stephen Holder, NFL Nation, ESPN: #20 (-2)

"The Colts' minimal roster turnover this season yielded few choices here, but rookie Mitchell demonstrated his ability despite catching only one pass for 2 yards. Two overthrows on deep balls from QB Anthony Richardson were disappointing because Mitchell had easily beaten his defender. On one, Mitchell's route was so good that Houston CB Kamari Lassiter had no choice but to grab Mitchell as he ran past him, drawing an illegal contact penalty. Look for Mitchell to have an impact in the coming weeks."

David Helman, Fox Sports: #23 (-2)

"Winning is the object, but it feels important that Anthony Richardson remains just as fun as he was before the injury. He’s still raw, and he’s going to make mistakes. But having a quarterback who can run and throw like Richardson is going to make the Colts a must-watch, at the very least."

Josh Kendall, The Athletic: #18 (+/- 0)

"In his fifth NFL game, second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson participated in 268 of the Colts’ 303 yards. It may not be a sustainable way to play offense, but it was fun to watch Sunday, including a spectacular 60-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce. It was the third-longest touchdown pass in air yards (65.3) since Next Gen Stats began tracking in 2016. He also led the Colts with 56 yards on the ground."

Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: #19 (-1)

"Anthony Richardson had a throwback game. Norm Van Brocklin was a Hall of Fame quarterback with a 53.6% career completion percentage, but he averaged 8.2 yards per attempt, one of the best marks ever. Joe Namath completed 50.1% of his passes but at 7.4 yards per attempt. The game has evolved so much that it's weird to see a quarterback have a line of 9 of 19 for 212 yards, which were Richardson's numbers on Sunday. It wasn't a one-off either; this is pretty much who Richardson will be. He can hit big passes downfield but the evolution he needs is keeping the sticks moving at the short and intermediate levels."

Diante Lee, The Ringer: #16 (+2)

"I have to put my Week 1 overreactions somewhere, and I'm ready to get hyperbolic about the Anthony Richardson experience. Sure, Indianapolis played a bit of a clunky game against Houston; Richardson completed fewer than half of his passes, and the run game didn't find enough creases to be as effective as I expected. Still, it's obvious that this offense can get 5 yards on the ground whenever it wants, and Richardson's arm gives the passing game an explosive potential that should have the entire league on notice. Richardson demonstrated strong chemistry with receiver Alec Pierce throughout the summer, and that's carried over -- especially when they connected on a stunning 60-yard touchdown."