We finally made it! The long offseason is over and Colts football will return this weekend as they open against their division rival Houston Texans at home on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Week One has not been kind to this franchise as they have not won a season opener since 2013. It’s one of the most dubious streaks currently in the NFL.
The Colts last game of the 2023 season was against the Houston Texans, where the winner got the final playoff spot and the AFC South crown. It was then-starter Gardner Minshew who failed to connect a quick-hitting pass to Tyler Goodson on a 4th and 2 and left the Colts on the outside looking in losing 23-19. With painful endings come new beginnings as we look towards week one and the storylines, I will be watching this Sunday.
The Colts haven’t won during Week 1 in a DECADE 🤯
Their record is 0-9-1 since 2014 in season openers. pic.twitter.com/EA2W5vvl4a
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) September 3, 2024
Anthony Richardson’s Chemistry
You could argue this will be the main storyline for the first half of the season as we are arguably seeing the continuation of Anthony Richardson’s rookie season. With that will come growing pains and the continued chemistry between himself and his pass catchers. While I am not worried about Micheal Pittman Jr. I am worried about the connection between the rest of the roster.
With his favorite target in WR Josh Downs expected to be out on Sunday, his preseason run with rookies Adonai Mitchell and Anthony Gould will have to show itself in some capacity if Indy’s passing game wants to gain traction early on. He also is still building chemistry with Alec Pierce and the rest of the tight ends. How quickly Anthony Richardson can get comfortable will be interesting to see, and how this Houston secondary can exploit it will be a focal point of Sunday’s game.
Trench Battle
I thought Stephen Holder of ESPN said it best this week on a local radio show, it’s time for all this money that Colts GM Chris Ballard has spent on both lines of scrimmage to prove itself this Sunday. We know the importance that Ballard puts on both lines of scrimmage when constructing a roster.
This year is no different with the offensive line trio of Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, and Braden Smith taking up a huge portion of the salary cap. On the defensive side of the ball, the duo of DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart control some massive amounts of cap as well.
Houston adds edge rusher Danielle Hunter to be the tag team partner with Will Anderson Jr. to form this formidable pass rush of Houston. They will be a bit depleted with Denico Autry serving a PED suspension. Raimann/Smith vs Hunter/Anderson Jr will be a key matchup this Sunday to keep an eye on. Also looking forward to seeing if Laiatu Latu can look as good as he did in the preseason as this will be his first test against full-time starters in a regular season game.
Stopping This Houston Offense
The Houston Texans did what any great front office does. They saw how talented CJ Stroud was as a mere rookie and subsequently invested in what can contribute to his success. Most notably, they upgraded his run game by signing former Bengals starting RB Joe Mixon and traded for wide receiver Stefon Diggs. They will also bring back pass catchers Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz, among others. This offense is loaded with talent and will give CJ Stroud the ability to spread the ball around.
The Colts’ biggest weakness last season was their secondary and where many improved like Houston to keep up the pressure on the league, the Colts chose to “run it back” with this youthful bunch. A youthful bunch that for the most part was underwhelming last season. Most of the issues that they encountered were blown coverages, inability to create turnovers, and untimely penalties. While common amongst teams breaking in new players, this coaching staff must see something we do not and have faith in the players. This Texans offensive front will give this franchise a great barometer as to where they stand after training camp and hopefully, the team can adjust as the first month of this season allows no let up with a difficult schedule.
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