2024 Week 1: Texans 29, Colts 27
This game was a privilege to watch, two of the top teams in the AFC going at each other, and we get to watch it again in 2 months. Week 1 might have had the top 2 NFC teams and top 2 AFC teams play each other… it just wasn’t the teams the NFL had thought – GB/PHI and BAL/KC.
The Colts were in a good place to win this despite losing for the majority of the game. Stroud threw a couple passes that should have been picks, and Anthony Richardson missed some deep passes.
The Texans might/should/need to start 4-0 before their schedule gets harder. They have Chicago, Jacksonville, and Minnesota the next 3 games.
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QB Report:
- Anthony Richardson (9/19 for 212 yards, 2 TDs/ 1 INT, 6 rushes for 56-1) had a great game that could have been even better had he connected on a few more passes. He was close to having a 300 yard 5 total TD performance. AR has accuracy problems but for a player that is as gifted as he is: big, tall, fast, cannon instead of an arm, he doesn’t need to be accurate to win games for Indy. This “could have been better” sentence will be a theme all year.
- CJ Stroud (24/32 for 234 yards, 2 TDs, 4 rushes for 13 yards) made some beautiful throws and might be the best passer in the game, ahead of Burrow. Stroud is the next Mahomes, AR is the next Allen, Daniels is the next Lamar, but all might be better than their predecessor.
RB Report:
- Joe Mixon (30-159-1, 3 catches for 19-0/3) had a massive workload and had an amazing day with it. This won’t be the norm for Mixon of course, it was just working. Mixon really exploded as the Colts started to lose some defenders.
- Jonathan Taylor (16-48-1) was fine, this offense is based solely around AR. He’ll get a lot of the goal line rushing TDs, and AR doesn’t look for RB checkdowns.
WR Report:
- Stefon Diggs (6-33-2/6) scored 2 TDs so everyone thinks of him and Nico as the de facto no. 1 and 2. I see this receiving core similar to the 2011-12 OKC Thunder. Tank Dell is Kevin Durant, Nico Collins is Russell Westbrook. The true #1 and 2, and Diggs is James Harden, the odd-man out but he’ll have his moments of greatness. His moment just happened to be week 1.
- Tank Dell (3-40-0/7) is the real #1 in Houston. He was second in targets and just 1 behind Collins. Dell was given looks in the endzone that they weren’t able to connect on… then Diggs would score shortly after.
- Nico Collins (6-117-0/8) had a big game but seemed lucky to me. A majority of his yards came on plays where Stroud hoped it would be Nico or no one coming down with it, and Nico happened to come down with the ball. He is not the pitch and catch guy.
- Alec Pierce (3-125-1/3) is the man of the hour after wrangling in the most impressive throw I’ve ever seen a QB make. Richardson dropped that in a bucket.
https://youtu.be/JglUnuuSYfc?si=p7-28cM8vq09h1S6
- Michael Pittman (4-31-0/8) was the main look here but he isn’t the right kind of receiver for Richardson.
- Josh Downs I think will be the main receiver for Indy… it was trending that way last year before Downs and Richardson both got hurt.
D/ST Report:
- The Colts defense was good in this game, they weren’t great but they were pressuring Stroud and making him uncomfortable, if he even can be. The Colts started to sustain injuries on the line and secondary and that’s when Mixon took over. They lost their top corner JuJu Brents (7 tackles) for the season which kills this defense going forward.
- Colts DE and rookie Laiatu Latu played 31 snaps but didn’t get to Stroud, he was credited with some pressures but Laremy Tunsil was a great ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment for the young pass rusher.
