That was Fun!

What a way to start a season. Coming into today's game, the Colts seemed to have the Texans' number. Since the Texans joined the league, they have gone 1-15 against the Colts. This game was talked from the day the schedule was released. A lot of analysts and pundits were calling this a 'must win' for the Texans.

Despite their past proclivities, the Texans stepped up and did what needed to be done on this regular season opener. Pressure was kept up on Manning through most of the game, which helped disrupt his passing attack. The run defense held Joseph Addai to only 44 yards (but to be fair, the Colts barely ran the ball, if at all, in the 2nd half). Manning did rack up 433 yards, but he threw the ball 57 times, which is a lot even for a pass happy team. Manning was also sacked twice.

The story of the day, however, was the Texans running game led by Arian Foster. Foster ran 33 times for 231 yards to cap off the 2nd best opening day rushing attack in NFL history. In the process he scored 3 touchdowns. The offensive line did a tremendous job opening the holes for Foster and Slaton (who saw limited time in the game but used it effectively). Vonta Leach, who has never really been considered a great Fullback, came through with some excellent blocking for the bigger runs of the day.

The passing attack by the Texans seems on paper as anemic. Matt Schaub went 9 for 17 with 107 yards (1 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack). Andre Johnson was limited to 3 catches for 33 yards. This, however, only tells half the story. The Texans barely threw the ball at all in the 2nd half. Most of the 2nd half was dedicated to the run game. Obviously the coaching staff saw the weakness in the Colts defense and exploited it.

People are still a little skeptical of the Texans defense in the secondary, although they did cause the Colts to cough up the ball late in the game. In the 4th quarter Manning connected on a lot of passes, but here also there was a method to the madness. The Texans were covering the sidelines and conceding the middle of the field in the 4th quarter in order to keep the clock moving. It's a risky strategy when going up against an elite quarterback which was evidenced by the 70+ yard touchdown throw from Manning to Austin Collie with 1:15 left in the game. But in the end the strategy paid off as clock management was not an option for the Colts in the 4th quarter.

Both teams suffered key injuries in the game. The Texans lost DE Conner Barwin for the season with a dislocated ankle. The Colts, in turn, lost S Bob Sanders for at least a few weeks due to a bicep injury.

All in all, this day belonged to the Houston Texans. The team sought to make a statement with this game and while all the hype has by now worn off, the confidence level of the team is going to soar. Next up is a road matchup against the retooled and upgraded Washington Redskins, who are looking to reclaim their place in the NFC East.