3 reasons why the Houston Texans defeated the Indianapolis Colts

The Houston Texans pulled out a close one against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, winning 29-27. It was a game where every single snap may have tilted the scales of victory to either team's advantage, allowing for a wild and unpredictable outcome. Thankfully, the game went in the favor of the Texans, allowing the Houston squad to start the season 1-0 on the season, as well as 1-0 in the AFC South.

It was an incredible journey for the Texans on Sunday, but how were they able to navigate their way to a victory against a much more impressive opponent than previously expected? Let's find out.

A dominant running game

Joe Mixon, who knew? No one, so let's not pretend that anyone saw a near 160-yard performance coming. He was traded for a seventh-round pick for a reason, just hours after he was set to be released. All because no one was chomping at the bit to acquire him. So no, no one saw Mixon's debut coming. He shot out of the gates like a rocket, running for 159 yards on just 30 carries. Against a Colts defense that was supposed to be super tough against the run. Without Mixon's big game, who knows how this game would've gone?

Luck

The Houston Texans weren't just good on Sunday, they were lucky. C.J. Stroud nearly threw two interceptions against an unrelenting Colts' defense. Julius Brents nearly picked off Stroud on the sideline but came down out of bounds, and another pass by Stroud was almost picked off in the same aforementioned drive. If those plays become turnovers, who knows how this game goes?

Inaccurate opponent

Anthony Richardson is all boom or bust. The young man has a cannon for an arm and can hit the occasional open man running downfield, but if he isn't throwing deep, he isn't connecting. The former 2023 first-round pick out of Florida completed just 47% of his passes all day. Had he been more accurate, there's a good chance the Texans lost this game.