The Houston Texans are in the win column to begin the NFL season after taking down the rival Indianapolis Colts 29-27.

Houston saw themselves rush for 213 yards including some big runs down the stretch to secure the season-opening victory.

Perhaps the biggest play of the game came on 3rd and 11 right out of the two-minute warning when CJ Stroud fired a laser to the sideline which was hauled in by Nico Collins in incredible fashion.

Week one is never a game to overreact to whether it’s good or bad however there were still plenty of takeaways in this one. Let’s look at three of those from the Texans’ perspective.

1 – Joe Mixon has revolutionized the Houston ground game – Last season, the Texans ranked bottom three in the NFL when it came to rushing.

Enter Joe Mixon whom Houston acquired from the Bengals in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick.

Mixon rushed for 159 yards on 30 carries with one touchdown averaging 5.3 yards per carry on the afternoon.

If Mixon can continue to play the way that he did, the already dangerous Texans offense adds a whole new dynamic.

2 – Stefon Diggs may become CJ Stroud’s number one red zone option – 2023 saw CJ Stroud oftentimes turn to his tight end Dalton Schultz in the red zone, this season he may be looking at his new WR1.

Stefon Diggs had two touchdowns on the afternoon, both of which came in the red zone on rather easy throws for Stroud.

However, establishing a connection on that end of the field early on in the season is huge for the new duo of Diggs and Stroud.

Diggs didn’t have the most eye-popping game but his presence alone makes opposing defenses fear what Houston brings to the table on offense.

3 – The Texans secondary has to eliminate the big play – “Got to eliminate the big plays,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “That’s when you give up points. When you give up the big plays, that equals points.”

The Colts saw themselves use three plays of over 50 yards to either score touchdowns or set up scores.

Multiple corners and safeties were beaten deep for a Texans’ secondary which can not afford to continue that.

Big plays were an issue last season for the Texans but they’ve got to eliminate those moving forward.