What quarterback will Texans face in Week 1?

Who will the Houston Texans be facing in Week 1 at quarterback?

Though the regular-season opener is a few months away, it is never too early to be looking at some of the Houston Texans’ opponents for the 2022 NFL season, and with the first opponent of the season being the closest game on the schedule, it is fun to take an early look at who that opponent will be.

That opponent is the rival Indianapolis Colts, and the game is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT) on CBS. That means the Colts this upcoming season will have a veteran quarterback who has almost won a Super Bowl championship.

The opposing quarterback for Week 1 is scheduled to be Matt Ryan, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons.

Ryan has played in the NFL since 2008, and in that time he has compiled 76 games where he’s passed for 300 or more yards, with one of those games being against the Texans on Oct. 6, 2019. That game was Ryan’s 61st 300-yard passing game.

In the game played at NRG Stadium, Ryan’s final numbers were: 32-of-46 for 330 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He completed 69.6 percent of his passes in that game, which the Texans won 53-32. This was a game where former Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson — who has since been traded to the Cleveland Browns — finished with 426 yards passing and five touchdown passes.

Texans: Matt Ryan is still a solid quarterback entering his 15th NFL season

Though a lot has changed for Ryan and the Texans since that October day in 2019, he’s still a very good and competitive quarterback whom the Colts believe in, as they traded a third-round draft pick to Atlanta.

Last season the Texans faced Carson Wentz when taking on the Colts, but this upcoming season Indianapolis has improved at the quarterback position even if this will be the 15th season in the NFL under center for Ryan.

Ryan in ’21 — his final year with the Falcons — 3,968 yards (375-560) with 20 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The new Colts quarterback, Ryan, has faced the Texans three times in his 14-year NFL career where he has a 1-2 record. This upcoming season, Ryan’s top targets will be running back Jonathan Taylor, and wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr, Parris Campbell and rookie Alec Pierce. The tight ends for the Colts is Kylen Granson and Moe Alie-Cox, plus rookies Jelani Woods and Andrew Ogletree.

When this game arrives in September, Ryan and the Colts will present a challenge for the new Texans defense, but it will be a challenge they will need to have twice a season, and have success, if they have any thoughts of being a playoff contender anytime soon.