The Houston Texans eeked out a must-win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, starting their season off right. The win allowed the club an opportunity to begin things atop the AFC South, an advantage they're going to need assuming the Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars are real contenders for the crown this season
The Colts proved to be a challenge, even without their Pro Bowl quarterback from 2023, Gardner Minshew. Anthony Richardson wasn't accurate but he had a few big plays thanks to bad defensive coverages, allowing Indy to stay in the game longer than they should have. Luckily, the Texans did enough to fend off their rival.
A big reason for why they succeeded was the offense. The team struggled in a lot of areas but three key position groups stepped up after Week 1. Which is what we're talking about today. Just as a note, we're not including quarterback in the discussion, as C.J. Stroud was the only player in his position to see snaps.
Running back
While it was mostly the Joe Mixon show, Dameon Pierce did get some action in during the Texans' win. The ground game arguably carried Houston, with the Colts unable to stop anything the Texans ran at them. Mixon didn't have any major runs to his name either. It was mostly just four or five-yard carries consistently throughout the day. That's the kind of demoralizing running game that can deflate a defense not just for a game but for the entire season.
Wide receivers
We know Stefon Diggs had two touchdowns on the day, but Nico Collins went for over 100 yards against a vaunted Colts defense. Many expect the Indianapolis defense to be among the league's best this season, and for Collins to contribute the way he did, alongside Diggs, was a huge moment in the young season.
Offensive line
In most other games, the offensive line wouldn't make the list, as the pass blocking was awful, but they contributed enough to the success of the running game that they get to be mentioned here. Every other position group was inconsistent or outright bad, otherwise the offensive line wouldn't be here. That said, they did outperform expectations, to an extent. So they get to be the third group mentioned.