The most highly anticipated season in Houston Texans franchise history began with a victory. At a place nonetheless, that for the better part of two decades, belonged lopsidedly to the Indianapolis Colts.
Sunday was yet another sign of change. With a ninth consecutive divisional road win and a third straight victory in Indianapolis, the Texans have officially turned the page and have shown they are indeed the hunted within the AFC South.
Houston, this isn’t your same old Texans.
Rather, a new era of Texans football is flourishing and the team has fully embraced the target they believe is on their back this season.
“We accept that that target is on our back,” C.J. Stroud said after the game. “We know that guys are gonna give us their best shot.”
The Colts certainly seemed to do just that on Sunday, but the Texans were the better team after four quarters despite some close calls.
Below are some observations and key plays that paved the way for the Texans' 29-27 victory in Sunday’s regular season opener against the Colts.
The Colts tried to set the tone early, on their first offensive possession, going for it on a fourth-and-one on the Texans 46-yard line.
It didn’t work out the way they wanted, but indeed, the tone was set for an aggressive play-calling day for both coaches.
After Anthony Richardson’s pass, intended for receiver Michael Pittman, sailed wide and the Colts turned it over on downs, on the ensuing Texans possession Stroud made one of those plays you just shake you head at if you’re a defensive coordinator.
Converting that on a fourth-and-one is huge and just had to give an extra boost of confidence to the offense at the time.
Like, what play can’t Stroud make?
Stroud completed 24 of his 32 attempts to eight different receivers on Sunday for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
Nico Collins was terrific!
We’ve seen the ability by this offense to dial up the explosives, especially when the Texans have all of their weapons healthy.
A 55-yard bomb to from Stroud to Nico Collins dropped some jaws in the first half on Sunday.
Collins splitting Nick Cross and JuJu Brents in coverage and coming down with the jump ball was spectacular. Because Collins beat the coverage so well, neither the corner or safety had a real shot at an interception or deflection. It was going to be Nico’s ball or an incompletion.
Another one of those “holy crap” plays the Texans made on Sunday came in the waning moments of the third quarter.
Facing a third-and-18 after Collins had put the Texans in a pickle earlier in the series with a holding penalty, he came up big when Stroud had found himself in trouble.
Evading pressure and extending the play, Stroud rolled out right from the pocket, threw across his body back toward the middle of the field.
A no-no for most other quarterbacks.
But, as it so often does, it wound up as a resounding YES for Stroud.
Collins’ final catch of the game helped put it on ice in Indianapolis.
There are words for plays like this. How about CLUTCH?
Collins finished with six catches for 119 yards.
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New additions make big impact
For the second straight offseason, the Texans arguably had the best of any team in the league.
Key contributions from wide receiver Stefon Diggs, running back Joe Mixon, defensive tackles Folorunso Fatukasi and Mario Edwards helped the Texans to a week one road win.
Here’s a tip of the cap to each of some of the newest Texans:
Stefon Diggs - showed Texans fans what he’d been doing in Minnesota and Buffalo the past nine seasons.
When you need to move the chains or when you need to get into the end zone, he’s that dude.
Diggs scored two touchdowns in the game and finished with six catches on six targets for 33 yards, including three catches on third down or later, which all led to points.
Joe Mixon - finished with a career-high 30 carries for 159 yards (5.3 avg.) and one touchdown.
It was a helluva debut for Mixon. You’d have to go back to the Arian Foster era for the last time the Texans were able to lean into the run game in a fourth quarter to help ice a game.
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Folorunso Fatukasi - I’m feeling much better about this defensive tackle situation these days, partly because of this guy.
He’s relentless.
Fatukasi finished the game with three tackles (two solo), one sack, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hit.
Mario Edwards - The other reason I’m not as concerned about the interior defensive line is because of this ferocious fella.
He finished the game with two tackles, one sack and a quarterback hit.
NOTE: Danielle Hunter had his name called twice Sunday. He only had one tackle before tipping an Anthony Richardson pass attempt in the fourth quarter.
He fought like hell to get to AR, came close a few times but the ball was out already or someone else had flushed him or got to him first.
I like Hunter’s relentless style.
Special contributions
It’s too damn easy to take these guys for granted.
We just can’t.
What a huge game from Ka’imi Fairbairn on Sunday. He connected on all three of his field goal attempts (50,51, 51), marking his first career game with three 50-plus yard field
goals.
Fairbairn also became the first Texan to convert three 50-plus yard field goals in a game since Kris Brown in 2007.
British Brooks - An undrafted free agent rookie out of UNC, was one of the surprises to make the team out of training camp.
This just goes to show what kind of pull special teams coordinator Frank Ross really has (joking/not joking), he gets the best out of his personnel and got Brooks to deliver the biggest hit of the game.
Rookie Calen Bullock with the INT
In the red zone!
Bullock’s interception stifled an 11-play 47 yard drive by the Colts late in the second quarter.
Richardson was a little wild on Sunday with some of his throws and Bullock was the beneficiary of this one that sailed wide of the intended Kyler Granson.
Dameon Pierce got some run
In a small sample size of just eight attempts this preseason, I was beginning to think he may not even deserve it.
However, the Texans have the luxury of letting him figure it out with Mixon healthy and running well and a veteran in house with Cam Akers, who was inactive on Sunday.
Pierce had three carries for 16 yards and looked as good as he has in two years running the rock.
It was just nice to see him contributing - helping wear down a Colts run defense late.
But what about Laremy Tunsil’s false starts?
There were two on the day.
The first one came on a third-and-eight on the Texans first offensive possession of the game.
It looks as if Tunsil was simply trying to anticipate the snap, given that the play clock was dwindling. You can see the urgency in Stroud’s face pre-snap, he knew they were late and needed to get the play off.
The second false start for Tunsil came again on a third-down. This time, there was plenty of time on the play clock, but look closely at Kenyon Green, who alerts the line of a pre-snap look from the defense. Center Juice Scruggs picks his head up late and quick, causing Shaq Mason and Kenyon Green to move early. Tunsil was simply saddled with the handkerchief.
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No, no, no…YES!!!
DeMeco Ryans aggressive play calling
He went for it early and late on 4th downsThe Texans were two-for-two on those decisions and both times they led to points.
Shane Steichen. Geez.
His aggressive play-calling felt more like a reckless abandon rather than an aggressive tactician. I think leaning too much on Richardson’s freakish athleticism is likely going to make Steichen look really foolish at times this season.