The Houston Texans take on a familiar foe this weekend when they host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. In my recent week-by-week projection article, I chose the Texans to win this game. After last weekend's Week One games, I am a little less confident in that prediction.
But I'm going to stand by my original pick because even though the Texans lost, I felt like they played well, especially in the first half. Maybe the Ravens aren't quite there yet as an offensive unit and that may have played into how the game played out. But I like Houston's defense a lot and they should only get better as the season continues.
As always, the outcome will come down to the offensive line. If the line had played better last week, I think the Texans might have had a solid chance to pull out a victory. The Colts don't have as good a defense as the Ravens, so Houston will be in this game throughout.
I'll admit that Anthony Richardson played much better in his NFL debut than I expected too. The Texans will have their hands full with him, particularly with his mobility. This will be a fun game to watch as these two rookie signal callers go at it and I'm looking forward to seeing how things play out. So, with that, let's get into my five outrageous takes on the Texans Week Two matchup.
Will Anderson will record 2.5 sacks of Anthony Richardson
Anderson picked up his first sack of his NFL career last week, joining Jonathan Greenard and Christian Harris on the stat sheet with a sack each. This week, with the Texans hosting the Indianapolis Colts, Anderson will lead all defenders with 2.5 sacks.
I think I've already seen enough of Anderson to confidently say he will win the NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year, finishing with double-digit sacks. But before I get too far ahead of myself, let's refocus on this upcoming game. The Colts gave up four sacks last week to the Jacksonville Jaguars and I expect the Texans to be able to apply that same pressure against Indianapolis this week.
Tank Dell will get his first NFL touchdown and eight receptions
Admittedly, I was a little surprised by Dell's lack of targets last week. Stroud targeted him only four times. He caught three of them for 34 yards. Robert Woods and Nico Collins dominated the targets with a combined 21. I expect that to change a little this week and Stroud will look Dell's way a little more often.
Dell can and will become one of the best slot receivers in the NFL and can be a huge asset to Stroud when he's being pressured, which will happen a great deal, given the Texans' struggles along the offensive line.
Look for Dell to be that consistent chain mover against the Colts and help get this offensive rolling a little more. The Texans certainly need that to help put up some points. The slot receiver can be a vital weapon for a quarterback who isn't afforded a good time in the pocket. Dell gets his first career touchdown and eight receptions this weekend.
The Houston Texans will combine for over 150 rushing yards
If the offensive line doesn't pick it up soon, one of my preseason predictions won't happen, which is the Texans being a top-ten rushing team. That changes this week though, as Houston will get the run game going and rack up over 150 rushing yards.
Houston had a rough time finding holes last week against the Ravens but to be fair, Baltimore has one of the better run defenses in the league. The Colts can't claim that and the Texans get after them on the ground.
Last week no one not named C.J. Stroud recorded a yards per carry average of more than 3.5 and Devin Singletary was non-existent. He had seven carries for a paltry 15 yards. Pierce led the team in rushing with 38 yards but only had 11 carries. I expect Houston to run the ball a little more this week.
The Houston Texans defense will record a defensive touchdown
Houston could have used one of these last week but it didn't happen. As good as I think the defense will be this year, they will need to help out the offense with some touchdowns of their own throughout the season, staring with this one against the Colts.
I'll take a step further too and say it will be a pick-six. Houston can bring some pressure and we saw some of that in last week's game. Plus, the Colts don't have as good an offensive line as the Ravens either. Put some pressure on Richardson and he'll make a rookie mistake.
I hope it's Derek Stingley Jr. who picks up the score because I he could use a big play to boost his confidence. He had some nice plays a week ago but he struggled at times too. He needs a big play that could be that moment that it clicks for him and can become that shut-down corner he was drafted to be, but I'll take a pick-six from the Texans defense from anyone if it helps the team win.
The Houston Texans win this one on a last-second field goal from over 50 yards out
I think these two teams are pretty evenly matched and both their faceoffs will come down to the wire. The Colts have the better offense at this point, but the Texans can boast a better defense. I really have no particular reason for this projection, but it sounded like it would make for a good outrageous prediction, so here we are.
The Texans need this win, for their confidence, if nothing else. Stroud played a decent game last week despite the loss and most of the struggles were a result of poor offensive line play. The Texans did have several linemen out, so maybe a week more of practice and players getting healthy can help get them on track this week.