Colts’ Keys to Victory Against Texans in Week 1

If the Colts want to start the season 1-0 for the first time since 2013, here is what they need to accomplish.

In the words of the famous Bruce Buffer, “It’s TIME!”

Time for us to stop talking about what could happen. Time to stop speculating and predicting what will happen.

It is time for NFL teams to prove it on the field. The NFL season kicked off Thursday night with the Buffalo Bills beating the Los Angeles Rams. The rest of the league will get their chance to start the 2022 season on Sunday and Monday.

The Indianapolis Colts will be one of those teams with much to prove this season. An All-Pro running back, guard, and linebacker are joined by a new quarterback, pass rusher, and cornerback. A roster full of talent is looking to capture the AFC South title for the first time since 2014 and make a long playoff run into January.

But to get there, the Colts need to take care of business in the regular season. That starts Sunday as the Colts travel to NRG Stadium to take on the Houston Texans. The Colts are looking to start the season 1-0 for the first time since 2013.

The Texans are gearing up for redemption as they lost both meetings last season by a combined score of 62-3. Every division game will be a dog fight, but both teams are focused on getting off to a hot start. So, let’s take a look at what the Colts need to do to finally start a year 1-0.

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Establish a Balanced Offense

The Colts ran the ball down the Texans' throats in their two matchups last season. Against the Texans’ 31st-ranked rush defense, the Colts ran for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the first meeting and 238 yards and three touchdowns in the second. Jonathan Taylor ran for 288 yards and four touchdowns alone against the Texans in 2021.

You can expect the Colts to try and establish the run once again due to the success they had last year. However, the key will be for the Colts’ offense to be balanced rather than relying solely on the running game.

Taylor did not play in a single preseason game this summer. The Colts kept the All-Pro running back out of the three contests to conserve his body and protect him from injury. Nyheim Hines only saw action in one preseason game this summer as well.

It would not be a shock for both Taylor and Hines to take a little bit to get their legs underneath them. The Colts should see quite a bit of success on the ground with their talented running back duo, but Frank Reich and the Colts coaching staff do not want to run them into the ground in Week 1.

This is where Matt Ryan comes in. Ryan will be the sixth different Week 1 starter at quarterback for the Colts in six seasons. His leadership, accuracy, and command of the offense have shined in training camp.

The weight of the Colts’ offense does not need to be all on Taylor and Hines’s shoulders. Ryan can use play-action and quick passing to make the Texans respect the passing game and open up the box for the run. The Colts also did not show much from a schematic standpoint this preseason and are ready to let Ryan loose.

A balanced offense is a dangerous offense, and it will allow the Colts to dictate the tempo of the game.

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Keep the Rookie in Check

The Texans have a new starting running back for the 2022 season. Dameon Pierce was drafted with the No. 107 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft this spring out of Florida. The former Gator is a powerful runner who earned the starting job over the likes of Rex Burkhead and former Colt Marlon Mack.

Pierce hits the hole quickly and is not afraid of contact. While he only registered a 4.59 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine, he is a handful to bring down and can make sharp cuts in space. He was impressive during the preseason, and Pierce has turned some heads around the league.

Under former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the defensive line of the Colts was asked to read the blocks and focus on stopping the run, which ultimately hurt the effectiveness of the pass rush. Now under defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and defensive line coach Nate Ollie, the Colts have an attacking front focused on getting after the quarterback. Because of this attacking front, the Colts’ defense may be more susceptible to teams running on them.

The Colts defense’ will need to make sure Pierce is accounted for on every play. If the Texans can run the ball effectively against the Colts, they will be able to dictate the tempo of the game while keeping Ryan and Taylor over on the sidelines. Successfully running the ball also takes away an impactful pass rush as the team is focused on the ball carrier.

Two men who will have a big impact in stopping the run are DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Buckner could be the x-factor in the matchup, as he has had quite a bit of success against the Texans since joining the Colts. In four matchups over the past two seasons, Buckner has compiled six sacks, three QB hits, and 11 hurries.

The two defensive tackles in the middle will be tasked with plugging up the holes and making it difficult for the Texans to run. If that happens, the pressure then shifts to quarterback Davis Mills.

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Make Mills Uncomfortable

For a third-round pick thrust into the starting role, Mills had a decent rookie season. Mills went 263-of-394 (66.8%) for 2,664 yards and 16 touchdowns with ten interceptions. While the Texans went 2-9 in the 11 games he started, Mills was not the problem in Houston.

Mills is a smart young quarterback from Stanford who does not put his team in a bad spot. He is accurate with the football and tends to make good decisions. But he is still a young quarterback, and if there is anything we know about most young quarterbacks, they do not like to deal with pressure.

The Colts made upgrading the pass rush a priority this offseason. Out is Al-Quadin Muhammad, and in is Yannick Ngakoue, the Pro Bowl pass rusher who has never had less than eight sacks in a season during his career. Ngakoue flashed in training camp and showed the speed and tenacity the Colts were hoping to get out of the former Pro Bowler.

The Colts are also expecting Kwity Paye to take the next step in his development. A first-round pick a year ago, Paye started to come on towards the end of the year, with all four of his sacks coming within the last eight weeks of the season. Paye has been working hard all offseason to improve his game, including spending time with Buckner and is ready to prove he can be a threat on the outside.

The trio of Ngakoue, Paye, and Buckner will be the top three pass rushers for the Colts. Getting pressure on Mills will force him into mistakes with the football and lead to turnover opportunities. The Colts were second in the NFL last season with 33 forced turnovers, and the team still places a very high priority on generating them.

The more mistakes Mills can be forced into, the better chance the Colts’ defense has at a repeat performance against the Texans in 2022.

What do you think the Colts need to do to beat the Texans on Sunday? Let us know in the comments below!

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