Sunday’s matchup against the Texans will be two rookie head coaches and two rookie quarterbacks. What this means is that anything can happen. We saw aggressive play calling from both head coaches and we saw pass and run blocking mistakes on both teams. The Colts enter this game as 1-point favorites on the road, but this Texans team still has plenty of talent across the board.

As the Colts look to clean some areas up from last week, the Texans will also look to do the same. However, in order for the Colts to keep an edge, they will need to shore up three key areas:

The Offensive Line

The offensive line is the most important position in football because it determines whether a quarterback has enough time to throw and if running backs have enough space to run. If the line is not effective, an offense cannot operate efficiently.

Last week against the Jaguars, the running game was non-existent. The running backs mustered only 25 yards on 16 attempts and it was due to a lack of efficient running that put the Colts in 3rd & long situations. If they want any shot at winning this football game, the line has to make lanes for the backs and the backs need to react quickly enough to hit lanes when they are there.

Another issue last week against the Jaguars was a lack of consistent protection to give Anthony Richardson enough time to throw the ball down the field. With this lack of protection, it forced Richardson to throw the ball early and scramble outside the pocket.

The Defensive Line

In accordance with the offensive line being so vital, the defensive line is also equally vital. Last week, the Colts performed very well against the Jaguars’ high-powered offense and this was in large part due to the defensive line. Led by DeForest Buckner, the Colts had 2 sacks, 1 fumble, and two 4th down stops.

This week, they will be going up against the Houston Texans rookie quarterback and offensive line that gave up 5 sacks and a fumble last week. RB Dameon Pierce also did not run very well behind his offensive line as he only mustered 35 yards on 11 attempts. (keeping in mind that the Texans did not run the ball very much as they were behind the entire game). Therefore, Texans offensive line can be moved and stuffed, so if the Colts put up a similar defensive line performance as they did last week, it will be tough for Houston to score points.

The Receivers

I could easily take a dive into QB Anthony Richardson, but instead wanted to highlight the receivers and particularly, two receivers who will need to step up this weekend:

WR Alec Pierce – Pierce has been so stranger to criticism this offseason. he played poorly in preseason and only had one catch for 5 yards last week. This breakout candidate for the 2023 season is not off to a good start and if he plans to be the receiver and deep threat that the Colts hope he can be, he will have to start getting some separation on DBs and catching the football in traffic.

TE Mo Alie-Cox – Mo is one of the few older players on this team and with Jelani Woods on IR, the Colts need Mo to step up in the tight end room and make plays for his quarterback, whether in pass protection or pass receptions. He was second among the TEs in snap count (30), but also had 2 targets, and 0 receptions.

Bottom Line

This week’s matchup against the Texans is a much better matchup than last week. For one, the Colts’ high-powered defense will be going up against a rookie QB in CJ Stroud, but the Colts also have a rookie quarterback who will be going up against a Texans defense, led by head coach DeMeco Ryans. Last week, the Texans only gave up 265 yards and forced two turnovers. Similar to last week, it will be the Colts defense that will have to step up if they hope to win this football game and I believe they will do just that in this defensive battle.

Week 2 Prediction:

Colts – 17

Texans – 13

The Colts will play the Baltimore Ravens next week (9/24) on the road.