The outcome for the Indianapolis Colts in their regular season opener against the Houston Texans wasn’t a victory. In a back-and-forth contest, ultimately the Colts would come up just short, losing 29-27.
However, in what is a long NFL season with ups and downs inevitable, there are a few reasons to be optimistic about the Colts’ performance. Here are my big three:
Anthony Richardson
It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means, with Richardson’s accuracy issues popping up on a few occasions. But on the flip side, we also saw the high ceiling he possesses, with his arm talent helping to generate three plays of 50-plus yards.
In addition to that, and something you can’t necessarily quantify, was Richardson’s ability to come up with a big play when the Colts needed one. There were a few instances in the second half where it looked like the Texans had the Colts on the ropes, but Indianapolis found a way to put points on the board.
The pass rush
It’s only one game, but at a position group that has been invested in heavily and has a bevy of pass rush options, the Colts were disruptive against CJ Stroud. They finished the game with four sacks along with a whopping 10 quarterback hits. It was the Colts’ ability to generate pressures that kept the defense in this game and took some of the burden off the secondary.
Overcoming miscues
The Texans are considered the favorite to win the AFC South and a popular pick to make some noise in the playoffs. While moral victories don’t mean anything when it comes to the wins and losses column, the Colts were in a position to win despite some miscues.
As mentioned, Richardson had some off-target throws, two of which were intended for AD Mitchell and could have gone for touchdowns. There was also a red zone interception thrown on play where Kylen Granson slipped.
Defensively, the Colts would give up 159 rushing yards to Joe Mixon, which helped the Texans control the clock. Houston held the ball for 20 additional minutes compared to the Colts and ran 33 more plays on offense. On top of that, there were two narrowly missed interception opportunities by the Colts defense as well.
The difference in one play here or there could have changed the outcome of this game. The Colts have a lot of positives to build off of moving forward and showcased that they can hang with one of the best.