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For all the pressure the Colts put on themselves to get off to fast starts, they continually fail to answer to their own expectations.  It wasn’t a loss on Sunday, it most certainly wasn’t a win either.  It was a good old-fashioned 20-20 tie to the Houston Texans to kickoff the 2022 Colts season.  If that doesn’t get your motor revved up for the next 5 months, I don’t know what will.

A tie isn’t a terrible thing, it certainly figures in the standings better than a tie.  But a tie to the rebuilding Houston Texans, who are coming off as tumultuous of an off-season as any team has faced in recent memory, sure stinks of a team that continues to play down to their competition year after year.

The faces and names change on the jerseys but the results seem to remain the same.  The Colts found themselves at one point on Sunday down 17 points to Davis Mills and the Texans and didn’t even find the end zone until halfway through the 4th quarter.  Matt Ryan had four fumbles, failed to connect with many receivers not named Michael Pittman Jr and Rodrigo Blankenship made multiple errors on special teams that had fans ripping what remains of their hair from last season.

Frank Reich continued to be aggressive and pass on multiple chances to add points.  At one point, the Colts had 1st & goal from the Texans 9-yard line and walked away with zero points.  Unacceptable.

There are plenty of plays and decisions to pick apart and piece together as to why the Colts didn’t run away with a game they were heavily favored in.  It doesn’t help that this was the first performance since last season’s embarrassing season-ending loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The one that left owner Jim Irsay irate for an entire off-season, shipped Carson Wentz out of town and had the calls for Chris Ballard and Frank Reich to be on the hot seat ratcheted up tenfold.

Yet Sunday rolled around and the Colts played down to their competition once again.  If they played 30 other NFL teams, the Colts likely would have left with a loss.  They were lucky it was against the Texans and they were lucky to leave with a tie.  Guess who is on the schedule next?  The Jaguars.  In Jacksonville.  The week after that?  Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.  The week after that?  The first of two against the Tennessee Titans.

It’s crazy to say a game in Week 2 may be a must win.  The Colts are fortunate to be playing in the AFC South.  But wouldn’t it be nice to not be banking on the crappiness of your division every season or having seasons come down to the final game or two?  This franchise used to salt away the division by Week 12, now they’re happy to walk out of Houston with a tie.  My, how times have changed.

-Marc Dykton

On Monday’s edition of  Kevin & Query, former Colts center and current ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday joined the show to break down what he saw in Sunday’s Colts-Texans game.  The full interview can be found in the link below and be sure to listen to Kevin & Query every weekday morning from 7-10 on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan!