Offense was the main theme for the Houston Texans this past Sunday. Scoring a total of three touchdowns, the Texans edged out the Indianapolis Colts, 29-27, to open their season with a victory. From Joe Mixon’s constant rushes to the CJ Stroud-Stefon Diggs connection, Houston gave the rest of the NFL a glimpse of what their new-look squad can do.
The win didn’t come easy, as indicated by the final score. Led by Anthony Richardson and Alec Pierce, the Colts put up a fight, staying at the Texans’ heels for a good part of the game. It seemed like every time Houston got points on the board, Indianapolis would find a way to respond.
At the end of the day, the Texans held off their foes, as Steffon Diggs’ second touchdown put them up by nine points with less than five minutes remaining in the game. Anthony Richardson rushed for a late-game score to cut the lead, but Houston held on, not allowing the Indianapolis defense to force a turnover in the closing minutes.
If one were to give a grade to the Texans’ offensive weapons, anything less than an A is questionable. Joe Mixon put up 159 yards and a touchdown in 30 carries, tallying his first 100-rushing-yard game since November 2022. CJ Stroud’s two touchdown passes were caught by Stefon Diggs. Ka’imi Fairbairn made his three field goal attempts, all of which were from no less than 50 yards out. Nico Collins hauled in six passes for 117 yards, which included a 55-yard reception with two defenders draped on him. Check out the breathtaking play here, per the Texans’ official X account.
Still, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Texans. Along with the highs, there were the lows — which could very well hurt the team in the upcoming games if not addressed immediately. Without further ado, here are a couple of concerns from Houston’s season opener.
Pass protection
See the image above? Yup, that’s CJ Stroud getting sacked by the Colts. It happened four times throughout the game, and Stroud also experienced an additional 10 QB hits. This isn’t a good look for the O-line, who struggled particularly during pass-protection situations. An example of this was how Tytus Howard had trouble containing the right side as rushers got the best of him on multiple possessions. The false starts from Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green didn’t help either. Tunsil, specifically, was penalized twice for pre-snap movement. Nevertheless, things weren’t too bad, looking at how Stroud still managed to throw for 234 yards.
On the bright side, the run blocking was on point for the Texans. Houston tallied a total of 213 yards on the ground, which looks promising for a team that put up just 86.8 rushing yards per game last season. The gaps that the O-line had created whenever Mixon was utilized were a large part of why the running back showed out against the Colts.
Defending explosive plays
The defense produced mixed results. There were bright moments, such as Calen Bullock’s big interception and Henry To’oto’o’s productivity. The Texans also held the Colts to 104 rushing yards, making life difficult for running back Jonathan Taylor the entire game.
Regardless, more work needs to be done. Allowing Anthony Richardson 212 passing yards — including a 60-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce — wasn’t really a pleasant sight for any Houston fan. In fact, the Texans let Richardson complete multiple long passes throughout the game. The quarterback also found Ashton Dulin for a 54-yard touchdown while another pass of his to Pierce logged 57 yards. Moreover, Pierce finished with 125 receiving yards on just three catches as Houston safety Jimmie Ward struggled to shut him down in coverage. To put it another way, the Texans have trouble stopping explosive plays.
This is a problem that needs immediate attention, considering how the Texans are about to face a Chicago Bears team that’s loaded at the wideout spot. Players like DJ Moore and Keenan Allen await the Houston secondary this coming Sunday, making it an even tougher test for the endzone protectors.
