As the Indianapolis Colts kick off the 2024 season in Week 1 against the Houston Texans, there is no doubt a lot of eyes will be on the game since it is a heated AFC South matchup. With fans finalizing any season predictions for the Colts, we'll be making our bold predictions for the game itself which is sure to be a crucial down the line.
Even Colts fans will admit that the Texans have a lot of swagger going into the season off of a relatively successful year last go around where they went 10-7 which won them the division. They saw the emergence of quarterback C.J. Stroud who is entering his second season plus a stacked offensive supporting cast as joining Nico Collins and Tank Dell will be new acquisitions Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon.
While there is no doubt the Texans will be the favorites going into this game, one can't forget about the Colts who get back their star quarterback in Anthony Richardson and an underrated group around the team. Richardson would have several injuries throughout his rookie year which halted his true talents coming out, but the Colts star will look to amplify the “rivalry” between the two sophomore signal-callers.
The game is also in Indianapolis which while it might be weird to say this in Week 1, but the game is almost a “must win” as down the line when playoff seeding will be decided, the Colts could solidify tie breakers with a win. Anyhow, let's move into our Colts Week 1 predictions for a highly anticipated matchup against the Texans.
Colts star Anthony Richardson outshining Texans stud C.J. Stroud
How is this for a first bold prediction? Anthony Richardson will outplay C.J. Stroud in Week 1. This could easily be one that backfires in a huge way, but Richardson has been recovering and preparing quietly for what could be a monster showing Sunday as he knows the pressure with being a “franchise guy” according to ESPN.
“As the franchise guy,” Richardson said. “people are expecting you to win and do great things. So, that's some pressure right there in itself.”
If there is one aspect of Richardson that has retained from last season that could have been gone cause of injuries, it was the confidence but it seems to have never wavered as mentioned by Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin.
“Man, when I look over there and [No.] 5 has that swagger in his step, man, I'm just trying to give the ball back to him,” Franklin said. “This goes for me and every other guy in this building, from coach to player: Everybody believes in him.”
Taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft out of the University of Florida, Richardson will make the Texans play off-balance on defense because of his dual-threat ability, leading to a career game.
Anthony Richardson's success comes more from the air than the ground
Following up on the last take, another bold prediction that relates will be that Richardson will thrash the Texans defense, but it will mostly be through the air than his explosiveness on the ground. There was a lot of chatter last season about Richardson only being successful running the football as he has flaws with his passing attack.
He will silence those critics and doubters Sunday when Richardson throws for close to or over 300 yards which will be a career-high for the sophomore as the most he has threw for was 223 in Week 1 one last season. There could be some hesitation with running the football because of the injuries as Richardson spoke about coming back to the field according to the teams website.
“Just being able to put my uniform back on and being able to go back out there in front of all the fans and all the supporters, it's a blessing because I know I definitely missed it last year a lot, just running out there,” Richardson said. “Just being back on the field, it's another step in the journey and hopefully I get to take some more.”
“Throughout this whole process, I've been anxious to do a lot of things — just practice, put my helmet back on,” Richardson continued. “It's just taking it step by step, day by day and today we had a game and it just felt good being out there again…It's a little different but not too different because at the end of the day you gotta execute the play, regardless of what coach calls out there,” Richardson said. “I feel like it was good out there but sometimes you just want to do a little better.”
Colts supporting cast thrives, especially Colts star Jonathan Taylor
While Richardson will be the star of the show, the offensive supporting cast around him will feast as while the focus will be on the stacked offense of Houston, it will be the other side that thrives. One of those key pieces is Colts running back Jonathan Taylor who is one of the best players at his position in the league.
This Week 1 matchup is crucial for the future of the Colts as it will be the first regular season game that features both Richardson and Taylor healthy. Having two dangerous rushing and just general offense threats on a team is scary and one that going to cause a “lot of stress” as said by Taylor on the sideline of a preseason game.
“I think it's a lot of stress,” Taylor said of the stress that the Colts QB-RB duo can put on opposing defenses. “Defenses kind of have to pick their poison in a sense… Whichever way you choose, it may end up bad. It's just going to do nothing but help our offense by being able to put defenses in that position. We will do our best to continue to make plays.”
The Texans offense will be outstanding….just not yet
While the Texans offense is stacked, don't get me wrong, but there should be some questions if they are all going to click right from the get go. Stroud was very impressive in his rookie season, but will a sophomore slump stall any type of development? Will the bevy of options be too much to handle?
These are questions that can easily go in the positive way for Houston, but the Colts have a prime opportunity in Week 1 to take advantage of the jitters and the immense pressure in the debut that the Texans have. Indianapolis is currently home underdogs in a game that people believe they will be beaten down, but with it being a divisional game, it should not be a surprise to anyone if this ends up being a close one.
The Texans offense will be superb, but it will take some time for everybody to click, leading the Colts to take advantage and get the upset win in Week 1. Now, whether that will happen down the line is a more debatable question, but the division this season will be heated with teams like the Texans, Colts, and even the Jacksonville Jaguars looming.
Indianapolis looks to improve after last season, hoping to get a full season of analysis of Richardson, where they went 9-8 which put them third in the tough AFC South.
Follow Us
Subscribe
