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Alec Pierce Shines in Colts' Opening Week Loss to Texans: Film

Indianapolis Colts' wide receiver Alec Pierce was fantastic in the team's opening week loss to the Houston Texans

Zach Hicks

Sep 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) catches a long pass under coverage from Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward (20) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Sep 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) catches a long pass under coverage from Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward (20) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
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The Indianapolis Colts fell to the Houston Texans 29-27 in heartbreaking fashion to kick off the 2024 season. This outing was far from ideal on both sides of the ball for the Colts, but wide receiver Alec Pierce was among the few stars of the week for the team.

Pierce hauled in all three of his targets for 125 yards and a touchdown on Sunday for the Colts. Quarterback Anthony Richardson had his eyes deep down the field in this one, and Pierce was the recipient on two of the deep shots that converted on Sunday.

This standout performance tops off an impressive offseason for the young pass catcher. A former second round pick, Pierce put together a decent (yet somewhat underwhelming) first two seasons with the team from 2022 to 2023. He consistently showed out as a deep threat in his first two seasons, but the consistency simply wasn't there in his first two seasons.

Pierce came into this offseason battling for his starting receiver job with talented rookie Adonai Mitchell, while also seeing time on special teams in camp for the first time in his career. This sudden change could seem like disrespect to some players around the league, but Pierce took the challenge with stride and put together the best training camp of his career.

Head Coach Shane Steichen, along with several other offensive staff members, gave props to Pierce for his strong offseason numerous times in the lead up to the opening game. With Pierce exploding for 125 yards against the Texans, Steichen was quick to praise Pierce's offseason work yet again:

"I think what, he had three for 125 (yards)? I mean, that explosive – 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.”

Shining in All The Right Ways

Deep threat receivers have to be able to make defenses pay for quarters coverage. Luckily for the Colts, Pierce is one of the league's premier players at killing quarters coverage. His long speed and his explosion on post routes make him a true pain to deal with for safeties over the top.

The throw by Richardson is simply out of this world, but the ability to run under this pass and track it seamlessly is also worth a shout out too. Pierce, and Richardson, make this 60 yard bomb look like a routine pitch and catch in the backyard between childhood friends.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Richardson in this game, however. He had a few attempts on underneath throws that were inaccurate and with far too much velocity than the throwing window necessitated. Luckily, Pierce was able to bail his young quarterback out here on this next play.

Pierce gets to his landmark on the drag route and snags the 150 miles per hour fastball from Richardson for a productive gain on the play. Richardson obviously needs to bring down the velocity on passes like this in the future, but he is lucky to have a receiver like Pierce that can corral balls like this over the middle.

The finishing touch on a fantastic day from both Pierce and Richardson came on this vertical shot late in the fourth quarter. The Colts are backed up with a 3rd and 15, and Richardson decided to put his faith in the one target that he had chemistry with in this one.

In classic Pierce fashion, he is able to climb the ladder for the long completion against the helpless safety on the vertical ball. This throw and catch is as pure a jump ball as it gets, and Pierce specializes in making these type of plays. If teams want to leave a safety on an island with Pierce this season, Anthony Richardson will simply wish them good luck.

Overall, Alec Pierce was one of the few bright spots on the Colts' offense in this one. Richardson was going ballistic in the fourth quarter to keep the Colts in this game, and Pierce was the man that ultimately made the biggest plays down the field for his young quarterback. He may be a one trick pony in this offense, but Pierce's one trick meshes perfectly with the type of quarterback the Colts have.

I imagine this isn't the last time we hear of a big day receiving for Pierce this season.

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Zach Hicks
ZACH HICKS

Zach Hicks is the Lead Analyst for HorseshoeHuddle.com. Zach has been on the NFL beat since 2017. His works have appeared on SBNation.com, the Locked On Podcast Network, BleacherReport.com, MSN.com, & Yardbarker.com. 

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