Jonathan Taylor didn’t sugarcoat what the Colts saw in their season-opening loss to the Ravens. After Baltimore rolled to 41 points and put the game away by halftime, Taylor called it exactly what it looked like: a reset button for Indianapolis after its eighth straight defeat, a skid that stretches back to last season.
“Definitely an eye-opener, definitely a wakeup call,” Taylor said via the team’s website. “Like, hey, season’s here. Obviously we know no one’s gonna give us anything, but it’s a good team over there and it’s like, hey, doesn’t matter what you guys did last year, you gotta prove it again this year.”
In Jacksonville, Parker Washington showed the kind of focus that can keep a player locked in even when the business side gets messy. The Jaguars and Washington’s camp couldn’t reach an agreement on a contract extension before Week 1, but none of that showed up on the field. He finished as Jacksonville’s top receiver in the opener, catching five passes for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Trevor Lawrence praised how Washington handled the situation, saying, “You wouldn’t even know that’s going on with him (by) just the way he carries himself,” Lawrence said via Jacksonville.com’s Ryan O’Halloran. “He’s been the same guy.
Comes to work every day. Does everything the right way.
Just really impressed with how he’s handled it, but not surprised… He’s a worker and he’s a stud.”
In Houston, DeMeco Ryans pointed the finger at a defensive line that didn’t meet the standard in the Texans’ loss to the Bills. Ryans said Buffalo did a strong job early of taking that group out of the game, though he liked the way the rush responded later.
“ For us starting the game, I thought they did a really good job of really neutralizing our defensive line, ” Ryans said, via Texans Wire. “ Second half, I thought the defensive line picked it up really well, really affected the quarterback a lot more in the second half, which is what we were used to doing.
We have to be tighter in our coverage. The rush and coverage works together.
We have to give the defensive line a little more time. Of course, they had more max protection, shot plays, where they were throwing the ball up.
We had opportunities to make those plays and they came down with them.”
In Other News...
Texans Could Shake Up Their Week 2 Rotation After That Opener
After a flat Week 1 loss to the Bills, the Texans are already looking at a few moving parts in their rotation heading into Sundays matchup with the Bengals. Wide receiver Jaylin Noel, tight end Jake Klein and safety Kamari Ramsey all saw limited snaps in the opener, but each flashed enough to keep the coaching staff interested as Houston tries to tighten things up and find more reliable production in a hurry.
The biggest questions could come on defense, where the Texans may adjust their lineup depending on how Reed Blankenship is performing. For a team trying to steady itself after an uneven start, this looks less like a wholesale overhaul and more like a chance to reward players who showed something in brief work and see whether a few targeted changes can give Houston a better feel in Week 2. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Defense Just Lost A Key Piece At The Worst Time
Houstons defense had enough trouble in the season opener without losing another important piece, and now it will have to move forward without Henry TooToo for at least four weeks. The linebacker suffered a shoulder injury in the loss to the Buffalo Bills and has been placed on short-term injured reserve, a setback that comes at a time when the unit is already trying to steady itself after allowing 36 points and 432 yards.
Wade Woodaz and Jake Hummel are now the names to watch as the Texans sort out the middle of their defense in TooToos absence. For a group that was already searching for answers after a rough debut, the next few weeks will be a test of depth, communication and how quickly the younger pieces can handle expanded roles. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Suddenly Need A Familiar Linebacker To Steady This Defense
The Texans moved quickly to shore up their linebacker depth, signing Jamal Hill from the practice squad to the 53-man roster after Henry To'oTo'o was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury expected to keep him out for about two months. Hill has been with Houston long enough to be a familiar part of the mix, and his path to this moment has been unusual, with the converted safety now entering his fourth professional season.
For most of his time with the Texans, Hill has been a special teams contributor, but the roster move gives him a more direct role in helping absorb the loss in the middle of the defense. Houston did not have much time to wait around for answers at linebacker, and Hill's promotion is the clearest sign the team is leaning on someone already in the building while To'oTo'o recovers. [Read more 🡒]