Reasons for optimism after Colts loss to Texans

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Since the day he arrived in Indianapolis, Colts head coach Shane Steichen has been all about splash plays.

With injuries to quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor last season, there weren’t too many players making a splash during the nine-win season. That’s changed as the Colts kicked off the 2024 season against the Houston Texans Sunday.

Richardson set the bar for explosiveness early with a 60-yard bomb to receiver Alec Pierce in the first quarter. Richardson made the throw into double coverage after slipping and launching off his back foot.

It’s the play of the year — so far — and was a major chunk of Pierce’s career-high 125 yards.

Forget the loss just for a minute. This is what the Colts want to see from their receivers every week.

“That’s what we were talking about, carrying that stuff over from training camp into the season,” Steichen said. “Obviously he made some big-time plays down the field for us today.”

“It feels good for sure,” Pierce said. “That’s what I pride myself in doing. I think it’s the best part of my game, so I’m glad to be able to do it for the team.”

“It’s awesome,” defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. “It’s all his hard work he put in during the offseason. He had a great camp, and to see it all come to fruition, him taking the top off of the defense and creating those big plays, those 50-50 balls turn into 100 percenters, right? So it’s good and pretty cool to see.”

Pierce’s production shouldn’t overshadow the rest of the receiving corps, specifically Ashton Dulin. The six-year veteran lost his entire season last year after tearing his ACL during training camp.

His first game back, he almost one-upped Pierce with a 54-yard touchdown. Richardson said that wasn’t even the play call.

“That wasn’t even the route that we wanted to hit right there,” Richardson said. “I just saw the covers and I saw him running full-speed, and I was like I’ve got to give him the ball, and he did the rest. So, shoutout to him.”

“Just finally seeing Ashton back out there healthy,” running back Jonathan Taylor said. “It’s something special to see, because you just know the struggle it is to work yourself back, so to see it come to fruition on the field, I was super happy for him.”

This was just the first taste of how explosive this Colts offense can be.