The Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts are in the middle of a slugfest, with both teams pulling out all the stops. Of course, that's what you can expect in a rivalry game with the division in play. That means that both teams are going to dial up huge plays, allowing their best players to have opportunities for big plays.
The Texans have had a bunch of good plays but we have found four that you need to see with halftime upon us.
C.J. Stroud from his knees
Both teams have struggled with the new turf in Indianapolis. Quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson both slipped on the new field, both recovering to have nice plays. Stroud's may be more impressive, however, as, unlike Richardson, Stroud didn't recover. Instead, Stroud threw a bullet from his knees for a first down.
The throw was on fourth down and instead of trying to scramble to his feet, allowing for a defensive player to potentially sack him, Stroud made the throw and converted for a big play.
C.J. Stroud deep pass to Nico Collins
C.J. Stroud impressed early in the second quarter with a precise pass to Nico Collins for a major gain. The ball was a little shallow to where Collins was, but the wide receiver adjusted brilliantly to catch the ball.
Collins was rewarded with a new contract after the 2023 season and he's doing everything he can in 2024 to prove the contract was worth it.
C.J. Stroud touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs
With Stefon Diggs' arrival to the Houston Texans, a lot of us wondered how long it would be for the former All-Pro to make a mark on the team. Not long into the second quarter was the answer to the question, as Diggs caught a brilliant pass up the middle and scored an impressive touchdown.
The way they camouflaged Diggs on the play, bringing him under his teammate in the slot, was a stroke of brilliance and would have only worked with someone as quick as Diggs. His foot speed made that play possible.
Calen Bullock's first career interception
As a third-round pick, the thought that Calen Bullock would make a major impact in Week 1 wasn't an idea many people embraced. He's a young, developing safety who would need some time to adjust. Well, a quarter and change was all the time he needed. The third-rounder picked off Anthony Richardson in what was a beautiful catch for the rookie.
Though Colts' fans are unlikely to agree with our sentiment that the catch was pretty. Richardson has been pretty inaccurate all game, so this wasn't shocking to see the Texans pick him off. It was just shocking who it was who picked him off.
