The Indianapolis Colts X factor to pull off the upset win over the Houston Texans in Week 1
The Colts have payback on their minds with the Texans returning to town to kick off the 2024 regular season. The same opponent in the same building where the team watched the AFC South championship and a playoff spot slipped out of their grasp. Emotions are high for the Colts season opener Heading into 2024, […]
The Colts have payback on their minds with the Texans returning to town to kick off the 2024 regular season. The same opponent in the same building where the team watched the AFC South championship and a playoff spot slipped out of their grasp.
Emotions are high for the Colts season opener
Heading into 2024, these teams had completely different approaches to the offseason. The Texans were one of the most active teams in the NFL, adding multiple outside free agents who will start day one and taking the big swing of trading for star wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The Colts focused on retaining their solidified core and will be returning nearly every starter on the team's roster.
The Texans are considered the clear favorite to win this Week 1 matchup and repeat as the champions of the AFC South. So, the Colts have a tall task ahead of them if they want to pull off the upset in Week 1 and start their 2024 season with a bang. But there's one group in particular that I think will be the team's X factors if they are able to do it.
The Colts' new look pass rush
While the Colts didn't add many outside day-one contributors this offseason, arguably their biggest is 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu. Latu is coming off an impressive showing in training camp, where, at times, he looked like a truly dominant force off the edge. He's been so impressive that the team still has insanely high hopes for their pass rush in 2024, even after losing their 2023 sack leader for likely the entire season, with Samson Ebukam tearing his Achilles.
During the Colts' win over CJ Stroud and the Texans in Week 2 last season, Anthony Richardson had a dynamic first half, but the other big difference maker on the day was the team's pass rush getting home. They sacked Stroud six times on the day and made him look as uncomfortable as we saw the rookie phenom during his fantastic rookie season (even if he could make his stats look better down the stretch in a game where the result was never in doubt.) Fast forward to the Colts' loss in Week 18, and the team was only able to sack Stroud once, and we saw him carve up the Colts' defense throughout the day.
So if the Colts are going to win, their pass rush needs to live up to the hype and hit the road running with a big Week 1 performance. My prediction on the day is that the Colts will finish with at least four sacks, including one from a non-defensive lineman. This will require defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to get a little more creative than we've seen him in the past with his blitz packages. But I have a feeling we are going to see Bradley make some slight adjustments this season to the defense he's run over the past decade.
The Indianapolis Colts need to put an embarrassing stat to bed Week 1 against the Houston Texans
Fans know all about the Indianapolis Colts Week 1 struggles in recent years. But it's worse than many know, with the team being the only team in the NFL not to have a Week 1 win over the past ten seasons. The Colts have lost nine of their past ten season openers, with their best […]
An unexpected Indianapolis Colts rookie might have to be a Week 1 starter against the Houston Texans
We are less than a week away from the Indianapolis Colts 2024 regular season opener against the Houston Texans. And the status of starting kicker Matt Gay seems officially in doubt. Head coach Shane Steichen announced that Gay has a groin injury that will impact his ability to practice this week. This could lead to undrafted […]
