Alec Pierce doesn't let himself get too high or too low. He doesn't show a lot of emotion and doesn't let himself get too caught up in any moment – good or bad. That is, unless he scores his first touchdown of the season or makes one of the longest catches of his career.
Those get some chest-beating, arm-pumping celebrations and a little self-satisfied smile when he talks about them postgame.
"I was hoping that play was going to be called," the Colts wide receiver said with a small smile after Sunday's season-opening 29-27 loss to the Houston Texans.
That play Pierce was referring to was a 57-yard catch in the fourth quarter in which he climbed the ladder around his defender to snag a pass from Anthony Richardson to record a crucial first down for the Colts that would lead to a rushing touchdown from Richardson.
But that wasn't even Pierce's biggest play of the afternoon.
That title would belong to a 60-yard rocket of a pass that came in the first quarter that Pierce caught in stride, beating out two Houston defenders and gliding two yards into the end zone for the Colts' first touchdown of the season. In his two seasons with the Colts, Pierce scored two touchdowns in each, and none of them came before the sixth week of the season.
This one happened within the first 10 minutes of the first game of the season, and it sent Lucas Oil Stadium into a frenzy.
"It was awesome," Pierce said.
The pass, which traveled exactly 65.3 yards in the air, was Richardson's longest career pass, and the third-longest completion in the Next Gen Stats era. It was also Pierce's longest career reception.
It was a play that really didn't seem like it could have been planned – Richardson stumbled in the pocket and was under heavy pressure, and Pierce was so far downfield he was almost out of sight, out of mind.
But he wasn't out of Richardson's sights, and he wasn't out of the minds of his coaches. Because they all knew he was going to make that catch if Richardson got it there. And Richardson knew he was going to get it there.
"We had the look," Richardson said. "Regardless of what I did right there, even if I would have fell and rolled backwards, I probably would have still got up and tried to throw it to him. Just give my guy a chance. If I just put the ball in a decent spot for him, allow him to have a 50-50 chance, I feel like AP's going to get up there and get it. I got major faith in him doing that."
Richardson clearly isn't the only person to have faith in Pierce; Colts head coach Shane Steichen drew up that play and had it ready in the Colts' top plays to start the game. If the opportunity arose, Pierce was going to get his chance. He knew nobody doubted his abilities, but there was one guy who made that explicitly clear to Pierce before Sunday's game: fellow wide receiver D.J. Montgomery.
"D.J. was like 'Man, the ball's coming to you,'" Pierce said. "He was like, 'They're going to throw that post and you're going to score a touchdown. It's gonna happen.' I think he kind of just spoke it into existence. I appreciate D.J. for that."
The touchdown pass was the first connection between Richardson and Pierce on the afternoon, but it wasn't the last. Pierce finished Sunday's game with three receptions on three targets for a team-high 125 yards – another career-high for the third-year wide receiver.
Every time his number was called, Pierce was exactly where he needed to be and did just what he needed to do. It was just what the Colts wanted to see.
"That explosiveness, that's what we were talking about, carrying that stuff over from training camp into the season," head coach Shane Steichen said. "And obviously he made some big-time plays for us down the field today."
"I've always believed in myself, but you've got to put it on the field," Pierce said. "You are what you are on film. So you've got to make the plays when the plays come to you."
Pierce did just that, displaying the consistency that his teammates and coaches have praised all throughout training camp. But it's not just Pierce's consistency on the field that makes him the player that he is and allows him to have success – it's just as important off the field. And for Pierce, that means staying consistent in his mindset of always taking things one day at a time.
Because even though he had a career day, his team still lost.
"For me personally, I've got to just wash this day out of my mind," Pierce said. "You know, take confidence from it but don't dwell on it, because you've got next week to go get a win."
