/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73745002/usa_today_24842424.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,800&ssl=1 "3 things we learned from the Giants’ 30-7 loss to Tampa Bay")
The NFL season is underway, but they aren’t favored to start.
The Indianapolis Colts are set to open the 2024 NFL season right where they left off against the Houston Texans at home from Lucas Oil. The teams and venue remain the same, but Colts fans are hoping for a different outcome. The Texans ended an unexpectedly exciting season for the Colts in dramatic fashion. A failed conversion on fourth and short sent the Texans to the playoffs with the division championship. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Colts as 2.5-point underdogs, so they will have an uphill battle to start.
The current money line sits at +132 with the over/under at 49.5.
The Colts are returning nearly their entire roster from last year. One change that stands out, however, is a major one. The return of Anthony Richardson will echo throughout Lucas Oil, and when he runs out of the tunnel, it will be electric. He is a difference maker. That is why the Colts drafted him fourth overall. He has the ability to take a franchise all the way. The Texans can only partially plan for him in preparation for the matchup. He has athletic gifts that quarterbacks dream of. He is the ultimate duel threat. Couple that with Jonathan Taylor and it becomes a triple threat…right? The Texans are going to have to pick their poison in this one.
Meanwhile, the Texans are coming off a great 2023. Their rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud, looked incredible while taking his team to the playoffs. Not only did they make the playoffs, but they advanced to the Divisional Round. The Texans used the offseason to reload and acquire top talent in Stefon Diggs and Danielle Hunter. The team that beat the Colts in January looks even better in September. It isn’t hard to make the prediction that they have the best shot to repeat as AFC South champs.
The season is just around the corner. Sundays will be football Sundays for the next twenty plus weeks. I expect a rocking atmosphere in Indianapolis on Sunday morning and hope it continues through the night after a Colts win. It won’t be easy. The Texans are a formidable opponent, but if the Colts want to get back to the greatness of old, it starts on Sunday.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73745002/usa_today_24842424.0.jpg?w=500&resize=500,500&ssl=1 "3 things we learned from the Giants’ 30-7 loss to Tampa Bay")
