INDIANAPOLIS — Week 1 of the NFL regular season finally arrived for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. A big-time matchup to kick off the season as Indy welcomed the Houston Texans to Lucas Oil Stadium in a rematch of the final regular season game of a season ago.
Ahead of this game there were certainly question marks surrounding this Colts team. Could the defensive line get pressure on CJ Stroud? How would the secondary hold up? Would this offense be as explosive as we hoped? Those questions were, for the most part, answered on Sunday.
Wide receiver Josh Downs (ankle) and kicker Matt Gay (hernia) were out for this game. The Colts were looking to win their first season-opening game since 2013.
After the Texans opened up the scoring with a 51-yard field goal courtesy of Ka'imi Fairbairn, the Colts made the first big play of the day. With just over five minutes to play in the first quarter, Anthony Richardson showcased the potential that fans have been clinging to this entire offseason. Off his back foot, AR launched the ball in the air, hitting Alec Pierce in stride for a 60-yard touchdown that sent the roof off of Lucas Oil Stadium. It was Pierce's longest reception of his career and the longest play from scrimmage for the Colts since Week 7 against Cleveland last year.
“That’s just Shane (Steichen) diming it up," Richardson said of the play. "We were expecting a certain look on that (play). We got the look. AP (Alec Pierce) just did his job, and I just had to deliver the ball to him. And I think I did a decent job getting the ball there and he made a play."
“That's just physical ability, launching that ball down the field. There's not many guys that can do that," Steichen said postgame.
The Colts took a 7-6 lead into the second quarter. Indy's defensive line certainly was answering the call early by getting a ton of pressure on CJ Stroud. Tyquan Lewis had a sack, DeForest Buckner was all over the field, and Kwity Paye notched a sack as well. This group was incredibly active on passing down situations throughout the game.
Indianapolis' secondary showed stretches that many were concerned might happen throughout this game. The Texans had a big drive to start the second quarter. Nick Cross and Juju Brents in particular got beat for a long 55-yard reception from Stroud to Nico Collins. The Texans followed it up with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs to take a 12-7 lead.
After the big play in the first quarter, this Colts offense struggled a bit, to be sure. Finally, a long, sustained drive transpired towards end of half. Richardson showcased how special he can be with his legs. Unfortunately, that drive was cut short after AR missed a wide-open AD Mitchell for a touchdown. That was followed by a red zone interception intended for Kylen Granson, who appeared to slip during his route.
“I don't really know, really," Richardson said of the play. "I noticed they were going man right there, and I was trying to get the matchup, and I guess the ball settled a little too high. So, I’ve just got to connect with him right there.”
Houston inexplicably didn't get points at the end of the first half due to poor clock management in a chain of events fans are sure to be still questioning. The Colts went into the halftime break trailing 12-7.
After more inefficiency on the offensive side of the ball and another Houston Texans field goal, the Colts finally got the play they needed.
After a Dayo Odeyingbo and DeForest Buckner sack, the Texans were forced to punt deep in their own territory. Segun Olubi blocked that punt, and one play later Jonathan Taylor —who was abnormally quiet on Sunday — punched it in for a five-yard touchdown. The Colts went for the two-point conversion but were unsuccessful and continued to trail 15-13.
The fourth quarter is where the game decidedly turned in Houston's favor. The Colts defensive line, while impactful in passing down situations, could not defend against this Texans rushing attack.
Joe Mixon turned back the clock with a stellar performance. Mixon had 159 rushing yards and a touchdown in this one. That touchdown put the Texans on top 22-13 early in the final frame.
This Colts offense again showed its big playmaking ability shortly thereafter. Richardson threw a seed right over the middle to Ashton Dulin, who took it 54-yards to the end zone, giving this team life once more.
“It’s always good seeing the guys make plays," Richardson said of the play. "That wasn't even the route that we wanted to hit right there. I just saw the covers and I saw him running full speed, and I was like I’ve got to give him the ball, and he did the rest. So, shoutout to him.”
“Yeah, it was a situation we had him in – obviously, for that play and the coverage that they played," Steichen said of the play. "It allowed him to be open on that play. Obviously, Anthony (Richardson) made a great throw. (The) linebacker almost played – made the play on it, but for him to catch and run on the move for the big one was huge.”
Unfortunately, Houston's rushing attack was simply too much to overcome down the stretch. Stefon Diggs' second touchdown of the day all but sealed it with 4:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. Anthony Richardson did tack on a rushing touchdown late, but the Colts ultimately did not get the ball back and fell in the end 29-27 in Week 1.
"[I'm] encouraged with the effort, but we got to – coaches, players, we’ve got to make the plays in the critical moments. When you watch the game, standing there on the sidelines, players, everything – we’ve got to make the plays when it matters. So, we’ve got to get that thing cleaned up going forward," Steichen said postgame.
While the Colts tallied four sacks on the day, the team also allowed 212 rushing yards to the Texans on the day. A result like that certainly surprised fans and this team alike.
“Yeah, we’ve got to get that thing cleaned up. We'll go back and look at it, but I’ve got a lot of faith in those guys. Our defensive line, I’ve got a lot of faith in those guys. Obviously, it starts with them in the trenches with those guys, but got a lot of faith in those guys going forward," Steichen said.
"I think they did a good job of putting us in tough situations," Zaire Franklin said of the run defense. "You have to give credit to Joe Mixon. He ran very patient today. He kept everybody honest and I think that's why he had success."
"They did a great job of rushing the ball today. As a defensive line, we have to do a better job of getting off blocks," DeForest Buckner remarked. "We had too many busts and we kind of beat ourselves."
Richardson ended the game 9-for-19 for 212 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran the ball for 56 yards on six carries and scored a touchdown.
"I thought he made some big-time plays for us," Steichen said. "Obviously, that opening touchdown pass to Alec (Pierce), I don't think I've seen a throw like that. And then he hit another big one to Alec right there at the end on the two-minute drive, to get down there and score. He had Ashton (Dulin) on the in-cut. Then fourth down, (have) got to have it. I mean, he just powered his will to go get in. I thought he did some really good things coming back."
“It's awesome. He's a really talented player. He's got a long career ahead of him. So, it's great to see him be able to make those plays," Alec Pierce said of his QB.
"There are just things that he can do that others can’t. His off-balance throw and he throws it 60 yards – that's something that can't be taught," Michael Pittman Jr. said.
"It's just understanding there was some good out there, but there's also things (I) need to work on. I want to be better as a player anyway, so I'm always criticizing myself, but just have to work on just getting better," Richardson said of his performance.
Jonathan Taylor was noticeably quiet in this one, posting just 48 yards on 16 carries. Alec Pierce led the Colts in receiving with three catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. Michael Pittman Jr. caught four balls for just 31 yards.
"Yeah, I think really that's – you can put that on me. Like I could have called more runs, you know what I mean? I could’ve called more runs there," Steichen said of JT's performance. " I think we had 19 passes. I don't remember how many carries we had, but yeah we'll look at those things and get that thing cleaned up.”
“It was big. I think what, he had three for 125? I mean, that explosive," Steichen continued about Alec Pierce's performance. "That’s what we were talking about, carrying that stuff over from training camp into the season. And obviously he made some big-time plays down the field for us today.”
The Colts remain winless in season openers for now the past 11 years. This result undoubtedly raises the intensity for Week 2 in Green Bay.
“Yeah I mean, this is the NFL, right? It's going to be like this a lot. These one-score games – it comes down to it a lot. So, we’ve got to find ways at the end, both offensively and defensively, to make the plays in the critical situations to go win those things," Steichen concluded.
“I don’t necessarily say it's a disappointment," Richardson said of the loss. "Of course, we want to win. We didn't get the outcome, but we can't throw away the fact that there was some good out there. But we’re going to go to the drawing board. We're going to look at every single thing we did. We’ve got to give the defense some time to rest up because we’re out there making 45 plays, and that's not enough for us. We didn't execute enough. We didn't get first downs – a couple three-and-outs out there. And we don't need that, especially as explosive as our offensive is. We’ve got to be better. So, we're going to go to the drawing board and just be better as a whole.”
The Colts travel to Green Bay next week to square off against the Packers. That game kicks off at 1 p.m. EST.