We've had some time to think about the Texans resounding 34-7 victory over a hapless Colts team, but it's no less sweet after a day. The Texans did what we expected them to do, which is also a first in franchise history when that expectation is they will win.
This Houston team showed just how good it could look, but the Colts provided a lot of help along the way. Yes, the Texans defensive line pressured Kerry Collins well, but the score would not have gotten so lopsided if he could take a snap from Jeff Saturday.
Overall, though, both the offense and defense played well. Jacoby Jones showed why the Texans chose to re-sign him, breaking that wonderfully athletic punt return for a touchdown to end the first half. Mario Williams looked good rushing the passer against an overmatched Colts line. (Seriously, did the Colts try to single block him with a tight end on his first sack? Who thought that was a good idea?) The secondary also looked good for the most part. Glover Quin showed why he can be an asset at the safety spot.
There were bad signs, though, like Kevin Walter's injury and Kareem Jackson getting burned again. I didn't imagine that, did I? I thought I saw Kareem looking just as lost on a long play to Reggie Wayne as he did last season. I know second-year corners should take a step forward and I'm probably too harsh on him, but he needs to start, actually showing that, right?
Walter's injury isn't as troubling from a depth standpoint, as Houston signed Bryant Johnson for just this reason. He and Jones will take on bigger roles, but you saw on Sunday that Houston will be throwing as much to James Casey as Owen Daniels, meaning we're talking about a fourth, maybe fifth option on most plays. They can certainly fill that, but I doubt they bring up someone like Jeff Maehl unless Walter gets put on injured reserve. Since the prelimilary diagnosis only has him missing 10-12 weeks, that move is unlikely right now.
I also came away impressed with Ben Tate. Not super impressed, mind you, but he raised my opinion of him some with that performance against a very bad Colts defensive front. The Texans offensive line did whatever it wanted in the run game and Tate usually just ran through the holes they provided. He did show some nice burst and got some tough yards, but overall, he needed to be thanking his offensive line most of all.
Speaking of that line, it was a nice performance for them as well. Any questions on whether they could continue the high level of play they were at last season seem to be allayed for now. The Texans need to face a real opponent first, but the progress they showed up front was solid.
Lance Zeirlein said there were two camps of people after this win, those that pointed to the offensive success in the first half and those that worried about no points in the second half. I'm not in either one, though I'd lean towards the first if forced to choose. Instead, I worry about how much we should take from beating a team that's not very good. I talk with a high school coach from time to time and when he talks more about his team's mistakes instead of his future opponent, you know he's facing a weaker team. Games like this are more about cleaning up your mistakes for future success, not patting yourself on the back and naming yourself a Super Bowl contender. No, we'll know more about the Texans on that score in two weeks when they play the Saints. Until then, it's all about fixing those mistakes in house.