The Houston Texans’ 2022 season opener was far from spectacular, ending in a 20-20 tie against the Indianapolis Colts. Coming in to the game the Colts were heavy favorites to win, but the Texans were able to hang on late and keep a loss out of the column to start their season.
Davis Mills finished the night with 240 yards, two touchdowns and a 98.1 QBR. While he played well, he still has a lot to prove, and he’ll have to do that against another tough defense in the Denver Broncos this Sunday (3:25 CT kickoff).
Mills and the Texans offense had several chances to seal the victory against the Colts, but failed to get it done going scoreless throughout the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Texans’ defense played on fire, having multiple goal line stands, several three-and-outs and turnovers. They still were unable to contain Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. with each going for over 100 yards rushing and receiving respectively.
Rookies Jalen Pitre and Derrick Singley Jr both showed up big in their NFL debuts with each finishing in the top 5 of NFL Game Day’s top 10 rookie debuts.
Texans are set to face the Denver Broncos in Week 2
Coming up for Week 2 the Texans are set to play their first away game at Mile High Stadium in Denver. The Broncos are coming off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football and now have Russell Wilson as their QB1.
The Broncos also had opportunities to win, but failed to hold on to the football in the Red Zone twice, and that was topped off with some questionable coaching decisions at the end of the game.
Wilson looked good as usual, finishing the night with 340 yards passing, with one touchdown and a 101.3 QBR. Denver wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton both played well, and they will test a pretty good Texans secondary. In Week 1 against Seattle, Jeudy finished with four receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Sutton also had four receptions for 72 yards.
GAME PREDICTION: The Texans have their hands full for the second consecutive week, this time as a 10.5 point underdog.
I don’t think that’s how this week goes. The Texans go in to Mile High, picking up where they left off on defense, getting pressure on Wilson all while forcing turnovers. Davis Mills does what he needs to do and protects the football for Houston on offense, and rookie running back Damion Piece gets his first career 100 yard game, giving the Houston the win by a 27-17 score.