Jake's Takes | Colts' Roller Coaster Leads to Tie vs. Texans
Sunday was supposed to be a day of optimism for the Indianapolis Colts where all of the work they put in over the offseason hopefully led to a division win over the Houston Texans and therefore a promising start to the regular season.
After all, anything had to be better than the Week 18 meltdown that ended the 2021 season.
Unfortunately for the Colts, it took them three quarters to shake off that funk from January as they sat behind, 20-3. Although they would ultimately make a comeback and tie the game, it wasn't enough as the clock hit 0:00 at the end of overtime with the two teams tied at 20.
More significant than the Colts' now nine-year Week 1 winless streak are the questions as to how they can continue to let themselves stand in their own way of success.
Here are some of my main observations from Sunday.
—Self-inflicted wounds make the difference. In a one-score game or a tie, you have to look at the simple things that went wrong that made the difference. The Colts have a ton of material for that self-reflection. They had a turnover on downs deep inside Houston's red zone which included the drop of an easy catch by rookie receiver Alec Pierce in the end zone. The drive was ended when the Colts went for it on fourth down from a wildcat formation. Quarterback Matt Ryan was responsible for four fumbles (only lost one) and an interception. Penalties on both sides of the ball helped end Colts' drives prematurely while extending them for the Texans. Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship got overtime started with a penalty as his kickoff went out of bounds. He then missed the game-winning, 42-yard field goal opportunity, badly, with two minutes remaining. The Colts can be better than they were on Sunday if they just allow themselves to be.
—The Matt Ryan Era gets off to a shaky start. The Colts' new quarterback was supposed to be one thing they didn't have to worry about, and although he did enough for the Colts to have a chance to win, he made several noticeable mistakes. Besides some throws that were too high and off the mark, Ryan was credited with four fumbles, most of which were dropped snaps. He also had an interception where he failed to see that the defensive end was in position to make a play as he attempted to dump the ball off to running back Jonathan Taylor. Still, Ryan helped pull the Colts out of the hole that they were in late in the game. Increasing the tempo seemed to help him get into a groove. The Colts have had some quarterbacks in recent years that probably wouldn't have gotten the game tied up like Ryan did.
—Jonathan Taylor doing Jonathan Taylor things. The Colts relied heavily on their superstar running back, forcing him the ball early and often. The blocking wasn't quite there early in the game but Taylor got into a rhythm as the game went on. Particularly in the fourth quarter, Taylor put the offense on his back. He scored the team's first touchdown of the day on a two-yard jaunt, which made it a one-score game. In total, he ran the ball 31 times for 161 yards (5.2 avg.) and 1 touchdown and caught 4 passes for 14 yards (3.5 avg.). Without Taylor, the Colts probably don't get back into the game.
—Michael Pittman Jr. is going to have a big year. Although he was clearly the Colts' top pass-catching option, it was evident throughout training camp that Pittman was going to be Ryan's favorite target. That showed on the field on Sunday as the third-year receiver caught 9-of-13 targets for 121 yards (13.4 avg.), and 1 touchdown. What was especially encouraging was that he was given the ball with opportunities to pick up yards after the catch, getting hit in stride over the middle a couple of times in particular.
—The offensive line is going to take time to gel. With two new starters on the offensive line in left tackle Matt Pryor and right guard Danny Pinter, the unit was a potential concern entering the game. However, one player who had issues with Houston's front was their established right tackle, Braden Smith. On one drive alone, he allowed a sack from Texans defensive end Jerry Hughes and then later false started, which helped kill the Colts' final drive of the first half. Overall, the first half was not kind to the Colts' front as they struggled to open running lanes and allowed Ryan to be pressured far too regularly. It did get better later in the game.
—Gus Bradley's new defense has room for improvement. The Texans got out to a big lead in part due to the Colts' issues on offense but there was some slopiness on the defensive side of the ball as well that allowed the game to get that way. At times, the tackling lacked discipline, which allowed Houston to pick up extra yards. For much of the game, there was also a lack of penetration against the run and not enough pressure on Texans quarterback Davis Mills in the passing game. Pro Bowl cornerback Kenny Moore II also got dinged for two penalties in coverage as well as some positive pass plays to the Texans' benefit.
—Kwity Paye tries to save the day. The Texans won the coin toss and got the ball first in overtime, which can spell doom for the opponent if the receiving team scores a touchdown first. However, Colts' second-year defensive end Kwity Paye took it upon himself to keep the Colts in it, sacking Mills twice on Houston's opening drive of OT. They were forced to punt, giving the Colts the opportunity to go win it.
What were your biggest takeaways from Sunday? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!
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