The Colts went down to Houston, Texas, and left with their first win of the season beating the Texans 31-20. Although Houston struggles at home, this team has new energy with head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie QB CJ Stroud. While the Texans made the fourth quarter interesting, the Colts got off to quick 14-0 lead and never looked back. Here are five takeaways from week 2 against the Texans.
Anthony Richardson Left the Game with a Concussion
Early in the second quarter, Anthony Richardson went into the injury tent and eventually went into the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. It is presumed that this concussion came by way of a cheap shot by Texans safety, M.J. Stewart. Regardless, Richardson would not return to the game and his return for week 3 is in question.
Prior to that hit, Richardson started out with a very promising day. He was 6/10 for 56 yards, 3 carries for 35 rushing yards, and 2 rushing TDs. On this hit, it has been stated that Richardson should have protected himself better, but in looking at the TD, it seems kind of a fluke play as Richardson gets blindsided. There was not a flag called on the play as it was legal, but it was cheap as the Texans safety hits him up high and launches him into the end zone.
It is important to note that Richardson self-reported himself to the medical team as something was not right with him. For a rookie QB in only his second start, this is very commendable and demonstrates maturity to keep himself away from any further injury. So, while he did get injured, presumably, on this play, he did the smart thing by taking himself out of the game to get evaluated.
Zack Moss at RB
Zack Moss is certainly not a Jonathan Taylor replacement, but he is a huge step up from where the Colts were last week. The Colts posted 126 yards on the ground and Moss led the backs with 88 yards on 18 carries. He also scored a TD and caught 4 passes for 19 yards. Clearly, if the Colts are going to be competitive on offense, they will need Moss to stay healthy and keep rushing consistently as he did in this game.
These highlights of Moss really encompass the way he ran on Sunday. He was patient with his feet, he looked for the lanes, hit them for positive yards, and broke several tackles. This was the element that was missed last week, so this signifies what this offense is capable of if they can get a consistent run game.
The First Half Offense Explosion
The Colts scored 28 points in the first half of this game against a defense led by DeMeco Ryans. While the second half cooled down for the offense, the cushion that was given in the first half helped propel the team to victory.
On 6 possessions in the first half, the Colts scored 4 touchdowns. While this trend did not continue in the second half, I bring it up because it lets us know what this offense is capable of. The Texans defense can be a formidable unit led by rookie Will Anderson Jr., but in that first half, the Colts offense was clicking on all cylinders.
One thing to note with this game is how non-aggressive Shane Steichen was in the second half. With the Colts leading by multiple touchdowns, Sheichen did not roll the dice with backup QB Minshew. The Colts stayed committed to the run and did not put the football in harm’s way by throwing recklessly.
The offense Does Not Miss a Beat with QB Gardner Minshew II
After Richardson exited the game early in the second quarter, Gardner Minshew II came in and led touchdown drives on his first two possessions. In all facets, Minshew played the way we’ve seen him in preseason and camp. He was consistent, mistake-free, smart, and a strong leader.
The way this offense kept calm and remained focused is a testament to Shane Steichen and these players that adversity is not too great for them to handle. For any team, it is tough when a QB goes down, but for the Colts they picked up right where they left off and continued to put points on the board. This is still Anthony Richardson’s team and the Colts will look to him when he gets healthy, but having Minshew with the ability to come in and make plays is huge for this offense moving forward.
Struggles in the Secondary
The Colts defense gave up over 300 yards passing and a lot of that was due to inconsistency in the secondary. The Texans offense led by CJ Stroud came into this game with a banged-up offensive line and even though the Colts managed 6 sacks on the day, the fact that Stroud still carved up the secondary is concerning. Thankfully though this happened in a winning effort, so hopefully the Colts and Gus Bradley can go to the drawing board and clean up this secondary.
CB Darrell Baker Jr. had a particularly bad day, so it will be interesting to see if he starts next week. That being, the Colts really don’t have a surefire answer to accent Kenny Moore and Dallis Flowers. Let’s also keep in mind that the safeties did not play particularly well either. If it was not for the Colts pass rush, the Texans would have made this game a lot more interesting. The secondary got exposed today by a very good rookie QB and if they hope to have any success this season, they need to clean that unit up.
The Final Down
The Colts displayed lots of good things on offense, especially in the running game. It was reported that Richardson “feels good” after leaving today’s game, but it remains to be seen if he will be good to go next week. The defensive front played physical against a banged-up Texans offensive line. And as already mentioned, the secondary needs to get better. They had flashes against Jacksonville, but they struggled today.
The Lucky Colt 
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