By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts and their unearthly quarterback-running back duo were expected to steamroll the Houston Texans in Week 1. Well, it was safe to say that the Houston Texans and their Rudy-like attitude came to play against the Colts. The Texans tied the Colts by a score of 20-20. I believe the Texans ultimately won the day. With that said, I’m going to untwine five takeaways from the Colts-Texans showdown.

• Jonathan Taylor

If it wasn’t for a Hulk-like performance from Jonathan Taylor, the Houston Texans would have surely won the AFC South battle. JT ousted an incredible 161 rushing yards and a touchdown (as shown above). It was clear that Frank Reich wanted to defeat the Texans by a thousand cuts with Taylor leading the charge.

• Kwity Paye

The Colts did witness growth from second-year edge rusher Kwity Paye — which brought a smile to a lot of Colts fans. After having four sacks a season ago, Paye flexed two sacks on the day (which both arrived in OT). He may be on his way to garnering his first Pro Bowl nod.

• Alec Pierce

The Colts rookie wideout, Alec Pierce, was essentially MIA in the Week 1 showdown. Pierce had a whopping zero catches in his rookie debut. He was widely dubbed as a darkhorse OROY candidate entering 2022, but he still hasn’t quite got in sync with Matty Ice.

• Davis Mills

Davis Mills didn’t play like a vintage Tom Brady, but he was definitely efficient in the Week 1 showdown. Mills had 2 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and most importantly: a 98.9 passer rating. The second-year QB is off to a superb start in the frigid AFC South.

• Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan didn’t exactly look like the next Johnny Unitas in Week 1. Ryan had 1 TD to 1 interception and he also botched numerous snaps. I (and countless others) felt quite confident that Ryan would mop the floor against the Texans with his new Colts squad. Let’s hope that Ryan can quickly improve his chemistry with his toys moving forward. Perhaps the Colts will also sign OBJ?

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By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts defense had a modest 2021 outing (21st in touchdowns allowed and 10th in rushing YPG allowed), but they certainly had a couple of weaknesses. The Colts ranked 18th in passing yards per game and 25th in sacks. With that said, they should absolutely feel more comfortable with their pass defense and pass-rushing ability than in 2021.

The Colts brought in the explosive edge rusher Yannick Ngakouye, who registered 10 sacks and 23 QB hits with the Raiders last season. Ngakoyue and Deforest Buckner should be a cream of the crop DE-DT tandem. Buckner earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2021 and garnered All-Pro honors in 2020. PFF also gave him a nice 71.9 grade for his performance a season ago.

The 2021 first-round pick Kwity Paye should also blossom in his sophomore season (4 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 3 TFLs in 2021). Nick Shook of NFL.com believes that Paye will benefit from Ngakoyue and Buckner on the same DL — which should propel him to snag his first Pro Bowl spot in 2022. Paye and the rest of the impressive Colts pass rushers should benefit from an improved Colts passing offense with Matt Ryan. Matty Ice should surely force opponents to try and keep pace with him, so the Colts pass rush will have countless opportunities to pin their ears back against opposing QBs.

The Colts pass rush in 2022 will glow up from their 2021 pass-rushing force, but their secondary could be the unit that improves the most from last season. I loved the addition of Stephon Gilmore — who is still a very good football player. The former DPOY had a quality grade (77.1) by PFF. Gilmore can absolutely be the x-factor against AFC juggernaut teams that have top-end WRs.

The Colts will reap lots of benefits from new faces on their defense, but they will also anticipate growth from Darius Leonard. The Colts OLB is coming off his best season and third All-Pro season. He recorded 8 FFs, 4 Ints, and 122 combined tackles. He will try and defy the thought that a pure OLB in a 4-3 can’t win DPOY.

The spotlight in Indy could be on the 2016 MVP Matt Ryan and the Top-5 RB Jonathan Taylor, but the Colts defense can certainly be stingy and able to help the Colts be strong AFC contenders sooner than thought.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts transitioned from a disappointing AFC squad with Carson Wentz to a darkhorse Super Bowl contender with Matt Ryan. With that said, the Ryan-led squad could really have a strong chance to be the next surprise AFC Champion with production from a few underrated Colts players. Hence, I’m going to simply outline three breakout candidates for the Colts.

Alec Pierce

The Indianapolis Colts had one of the best value second-round picks in Alec Pierce. The Colts rookie out of the University of Cincinnati has the size (6’3, 215) and 4.4 speed. I believe his presence has made T.Y. Hilton expendable and he should really be involved across from Michael Pittman Jr. in his rookie season. The ESPN analyst Louis Riddick believes that Pierce could even win OROY in 2022.

Kwity Paye

I expect DE Kwity Paye to really learn how to use his power in his second season. The new pass rusher Yannick Ngakouye and elite Deforest Buckner will allow the Colts 2021 first-round pick to have excellent opportunities in 2022. Most importantly, I expect opposing teams to be forced to keep pace with Ryan and the Colts pass-rush should absolutely have more opportunities to pin their ears back than last season. Bucky Brooks of NFL.com named Paye as one of his sophomore breakout players in 2022.

Rodrigo Blankenship

The Colts popular kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, also known as “Hot Rod”, battled a hip injury last season. I expect him to return stronger in his third season and unveil a career-season in 2022. He should have plenty of opportunities to flash his ability (and character) in very competitive match-ups next season. I trust that Blankenship delivers a Pro Bowl-like season and he creates more excitement in the NFL world.

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