GAME PREVIEW
The Houston Texans (0-0) kick off the 2022 regular season by hosting the Indianapolis Colts (0-0) at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. This weekend’s game will mark the third Week 1 meeting between the two teams, with the previous two also taking place in Houston. The Texans enter the weekend with a 10-10 all-time record in Week 1 games, while the Colts stand at 33-36 all-time on Kickoff Weekend.
Lovie Smith will make his debut as the fifth head coach in Texans history against the Colts, a position he was named to after serving as the team’s defensive coordinator / assistant head coach in 2021. Houston holds a 4-2 all-time record in debut games for head coaches or interim head coaches.
The Texans offense will be led by second-year QB Davis Mills, who set a franchise rookie record with 2,664 passing yards while making 11 starts in 2021. Ninth-year WR Brandin Cooks returns in 2022 after recording a career-high 90 receptions for 1,037 yards (11.5 avg.) and six touchdowns in 2021, becoming the third wideout in Texans history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in consecutive seasons. The offensive line will feature a number of returning veterans, including OL Laremy Tunsil, OL Tytus Howard, OL Justin Britt and OL Justin McCray, along with new additions OL A.J. Cann, who signed in free agency, and OL Kenyon Green, the 15th selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Defensively, Houston will look to DL Jonathan Greenard, who posted a team-high 8.0 sacks during the 2021 campaign. LB Christian Kirksey and LB
Kamu Grugier-Hill return after strong 2021 seasons, while the secondary will feature new additions in DB Steven Nelson (free agent signing) and rookies DB Derek Stingley Jr. (third selection in 2022 NFL Draft) and DB Jalen Pitre (37th selection in 2022 NFL Draft).
In Week 2, the Texans will travel to play the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High, while the Colts will travel to Jacksonville for an AFC South matchup meeting with the Jaguars.
TEXANS-COLTS MATCHUP INFORMATION
TEXANS BIG DAYS AGAINST THE COLTS TEXANS CAREER STATS VS. COLTS
LB Kamu Grugier-Hill set a Texans single-game record with 19 tackles (10 solo), also tallying 1.0 sack, three tackles for loss and one quarterback hit in a 31-0 loss to the Colts on 12/05/21.
WR Brandin Cooks finished with nine receptions for 89 yards (9.9 avg.) in a 31-3 loss to the Colts on 10/17/21.
LB Christian Kirksey recorded a team-high of 11 tackles (six solo) and 0.5 tackle for loss in a 34-31 loss to the Colts on 11/02/20 as a member of the Green Bay Packers.
ALL TIME SERIES
REGULAR SEASON
Overall: 9-31 Home: 6-14 Road: 3-17
