A battle between division opponents is rarely without tension and drama, and the Colts' season opener against the Houston Texans was no different, as the Texans beat the Colts 29-27 at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday afternoon.

After the Colts' first drive stalled at Houston's 46-yard line on a high throw intended for wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and an eight-play, 22-yard drive ended in a 51-yard field goal for the Texans, quarterback Anthony Richardson decided to show just what he was capable of in his first NFL game since last October.

On the first play of the Colts' second drive, Richardson carried the ball himself for an eight-yard gain. The second play was a five-yard carry by running back Jonathan Taylor. The third play was a 60-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Alec Pierce. The pass – which traveled exactly 65.3 yards in the air – is the third-longest completion in the Next Gen Stats era.

Pierce, wide open in the downfield, navigated around two Texans defenders and caught the ball in stride, easily bounding into the end zone. As Lucas Oil Stadium roared in approval, kicker Spencer Shrader made the first extra point of his NFL career, and the Colts took a 7-3 lead over their division rivals.

C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense responded quickly, though, as their run game posed a problem for the Colts' defense – a trend that would continue throughout the game. The Texans marched down the field for a seven-play, 38-yard drive that ended in another field goal – this time from 50 yards.

The Colts' 7-6 lead only lasted for a few minutes longer – Richardson was sacked on the Colts' following possession to force a third-and-out drive – as the Texans took hold of the momentum to score their first touchdown of the 2024 season. Houston's seven-play, 81-yard drive included a deep pass from Stroud to wide receiver Nico Collins for 55 yards to bring the Texans into the red zone. With the scoreboard reading 12-7, Houston elected to try for a two-point conversion but running back Joe Mixon was stopped by the Colts' defense before he reached the end zone.

On Houston's next drive, the Colts' defense put a stop to their momentum with an emphatic sack from defensive tackle DeForest Buckner as he took down Stroud for his second tackle of the afternoon. Thanks to Buckner, the Texans were forced into a punt return without recording a first down.

Richardson then took the Colts all the way down to Houston's 20-yard line on a series of plays that included two carries for first downs (a 19-yard scramble and a three-yard dash) from the quarterback himself. However, just as the Colts neared the end zone, Richardson threw an interception and turned the ball over to Houston on their own eight-yard line.

While the Texans couldn't capitalize on that opportunity, they still held the 12-7 lead heading into halftime. And on their first drive of the third quarter – a nine-play, 37-yard drive – Houston put up another 51-yard field goal to extend the lead to 15-7. The possession featured two incomplete passes by Stroud – both were inches away from being interceptions – by cornerbacks JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones, the latter of which would have likely resulted in a Houston touchdown if not for Jones.

The Colts appeared to regain some life as the third quarter continued, as a combined sack courtesy of Buckner and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo forced the Texans' own three-and-out drive on the next possession. On the following punt return, linebacker Segun Olubi dove in front of Houston's punter Tommy Townsend and blocked the punt, driving the football into the ground. Colts safety Trevor Denbow recovered the football among a pile of players at Houston's five-yard line.

On the next play, Taylor ran up the middle through the scrum for a touchdown. But the Colts' attempt at a two-point conversion failed – Taylor was stopped before he could reach the end zone – and the Colts still trailed by two, 15-13.

Houston scored its second touchdown of the game on its next drive, a 13-play 70-yard drive that extended the Texans' lead to 22-13. An interception by cornerback Kenny Moore II in the end zone was negated by a flag on Jones for defensive holding, and on the next play the Texans rushed for a touchdown.

The Colts weren't ready to go away yet, though. Richardson unleashed his cannon once again, this time with a 54-yard pass to wide receiver Ashton Dulin for the Colts' third touchdown of the day. Shrader's extra point was good, and the Colts once again trailed by just two points, by a score of 22-20.

But the Texans' run game continued to dominate the Colts' defense, and an 11-play, 70-yard drive ended in Houston's third touchdown of the game. The score of 29-20 only lasted for a few minutes, however, as Richardson and Pierce connected for a deep pass once again (this time for 57 yards) and Richardson scrambled for three yards and the touchdown in an eight-play, 68-yard drive. Shrader's extra point made it a one-score game, 29-27 with 2:14 remaining on the clock.

The Texans held the ball and ran the clock down, and the score remained the same until the final whistle to hand the Colts their first loss of the 2024 season.