3 Reasons the Texans Will Upset the Colts in Week 1

Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season is here. As usual, most of the action takes place on Sunday, including an AFC South clash between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds presently list the Colts as 7.5-point road favorites ahead of the weekend.

Keeping that in mind, don't count the Texans out just yet. They're a young and hungry team with a lot to prove in Lovie Smith's first year at the helm. If Indy doesn't take Houston seriously, they could be in for a Week 1 surprise.

Here are three reasons why the Texans will upset the Colts in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.

Colts vs Texans Week 1

1. Colts Lack of Receivers

The Colts' Michael Pittman is a fantastic young wide receiver poised for a breakout season. Unfortunately, Indianapolis doesn't have too many options behind him. Parris Campbell and rookie Alec Pierce both have potential but still have much to prove. The same goes for the likes of Ashton Dulin and Mike Strachan. If the Texans can somehow shut Jonathan Taylor down in the backfield, Houston should be able to handle Indy's wideouts. That'll be easier said than done, but it's certainly possible given the Colts' lack of WR depth.

2. Matt Ryan is One Year Older

Speaking of the Colts' passing game, Matt Ryan is replacing Carson Wentz as the starting quarterback. While Ryan has accomplished a lot in his career, including an NFL MVP trophy, he's 37 years old and is coming off his worst season in over a decade. Ryan averaged only 233.4 passing yards per game in 2021 — his fewest since 2010. Even though he's on a better team now, Father Time catches up with everyone at some point. If Ryan has taken a step back, even if it's a small one, the Texans must be ready to pounce on the opportunity if they want to pull off the upset victory.

3. Derek Stingley Jr.

The Texans' secondary received a huge boost this offseason when Houston used the third overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. While some fans were concerned about his health this offseason, all reports indicate that the former LSU product is healthy and ready to contribute. He was a dominant shutdown defender as a freshman with the Tigers and will likely need to call upon those skills to keep Pittman at bay. If he can be successful, the Texans' chances of winning drastically go up. It's time for Stingley to live up to his hype by being a key factor in a potential upset win for Houston.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.