The wait has been torturous in some sense for this week one matchup for the Houston Texans, but it's finally HERE. So, let's have fun with numbers as we like to do.
It's BY THE NUMBERS, Week 1, Indy edition.
1 - The Texans have one opening weekend win in the past seven openers. They beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Trevor Lawrence's first regular season game in 2021.
1 - The Texans have one opening weekend tie in the past seven openers, which came against these same Colts in 2022 at NRG Stadium.
3 - I've been on the sideline as the sideline reporter for ten opening games, this being my 11th on Sunday. Over that decade, the Texans are 3-6-1 in those games (2014 - Washington, 2016 - Chicago, 2021 - Jaguars) hoping for 4-6-1 when we get on the plane to fly home on Sunday evening.
5 - As I said, I've been on the sidelines for ten years, which means I've covered ten games in Indianapolis. Last year's win over the Colts was the fifth one that I've seen, so as I like to say, I'm 5-5 in Indy.
0 - Prior to joining Marc and Andre on the Texans radio broadcasts, the Texans had never won in Indy in 12 tries. The Colts won that first one in 2014, then the Texans won five of the next nine matchups, including the win-and-in matchup last year in week 18.
136 - Newly acquired Texans WR Stefon Diggs has played 150 NFL games, regular season and playoffs, but he's never played a game in Lucas Oil Stadium.
125 - Newly acquired Texans DE Danielle Hunter has played 125 NFL games, regular season and playoffs, but he's never played a game in Lucas Oil Stadium. He was injured in 2020 when the Vikings played the Colts in that Stadium.
(*Prepare for next week's note that neither Diggs or Hunter has played a regular season game at NRG Stadium, either)
5 - With five yards receiving, presumably on his first catch as a Texan, Diggs will hit the legendary 10,000 yard mark. He also has six consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons in his time in Minnesota and Buffalo (2018 - 2023)
23 - Hunter led the NFL with 23 tackles for a loss, a career high, in 2023
75 - Texans QB C.J. Stroud threw a 75-yard TD BOMB to Nico Collins in the Texans' week 18 win over the Colts on the first play of the game. It was the longest play from scrimmage on the first play of the game in the NFL in 2023.
135 - In his six matchups with the Texans, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor has AVERAGED nearly 140 yards per game. He bumped up that average last year with a 188-yard performance in the week 18 matchup to finish 2023. That number must come down this year for the Texans to have a shot at beating the Colts.
17 - Since graduating from Eastside HS in Gainesville, FL in 2020, Colts RB Anthony Richardson has started just 17 games (0 in 2020, 1 in 2021, 12 in 2022, 4 in 2023). In one of those four starts in 2023, though, he ran for two TDs against the Texans on two of his three drives before exiting due to a concussion.
17 - Including playoff games, Texans QB C.J. Stroud started 17 games as a rookie for the Texans in 2023.
Alright, that's a good place to stop for this week. See ya in Indy, everyone!!
