In March, the Bengals planned to release running back Joe Mixon. Then, they traded him to the Texans.
After Mixon had 159 rushing yards in his debut with Houston, I pointed out that the Texans don’t play the Bengals. Does Mixon wish they did?
“No,” Mixon said. “I don’t, actually.”
Why not?
“Because I just wanna leave them where they’re at, just like where they left me, man,” Mixon said.
He has no regrets about that outcome.
“I’m happy to be on my new team, man, embracing me,” Mixon added. “It feels great to be able to be a big part of what we do over here.”
I told him it seems as if he wanted to stay where he was, but maybe he landed somewhere better.
“Yeah, no doubt,” Mixon said. “I definitely did, man, and like I said, I feel great to be appreciated here and to play a big part in what we do. I’m [going to] just do whatever is asked of me as a player. If it’s time to make a play, I’ve got to try to do whatever I can to make them. You know, be the best teammate and leader that I know how to be. I’m just happy that I’m on this side now.”
The Texans surely are, too. And who knows? Maybe the Texans and Bengals will cross paths in the playoffs.
If, of course, the Bengals make it.
Next week, the Texans have made it to prime time. You’ll see them on NBC and Peacock, hosting the Bears.
C.J. Stroud completed a 7-yard pass to Dalton Schultz to the Indianapolis 31-yard line in the waning seconds of the first half. In field-goal range, the Texans hustled to the line and spiked the ball.
Officials, though, stopped the play just as the snap happened to review Schultz’s catch.
The play stood, but that’s when all hell broke loose.
Referee John Hussey announced that the clock would reset to 15 seconds after the Texans had snapped the ball with 18 seconds on the previous down. The Colts then called timeout to complain about the clock, at which point Hussey apparently gave the Colts their timeout back, and figured out there should be a 10-second runoff.
It was confusing, and Hussey’s announcements (or lack thereof) were confusing. The TV crew didn’t clean up the mess until the second half.
“We needed to confirm that it was a catch, number one,” senior vice president of officiating Perry Fewell said in a pool report. “After that, we had to get the admin of the play correct. And so, from the admin standpoint, the referee was told that the clock was to be set at 15 seconds.
“We didn’t reverse the call, and so then we corrected the admin and the clock to five seconds.”
The Texans kept their offense on the field apparently not realizing the clock was at five seconds and would start on Hussey’s signal. Stroud threw incomplete to end the half.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans took responsibility in a sideline interview with CBS’ A.J. Ross and again in his postgame media availability.
“It’s just us as coaches — starting with me — communicating on the sidelines,” Ryans said, via a transcript from the team.
The Colts’ timeout was listed on the NFL’s official play-by-play until postgame editing when the timeout and the final play of the half — Stroud’s incompletion — were deleted. Colts coach Shane Steichen said he had no comment when asked about it after the game.
A timeout would have meant the clock didn’t start again until the snap.
“Week 1, everybody’s rusty,” Stroud said. “I’m rusty; we’re rusty as a whole. I think the officials told us one thing, but we got another.”
The Texans led 12-7 at halftime but could have had more since Ka’imi Fairbairn already had hit field goals of 51 and 50 yards.
“I’ve got to be better right there,” Stroud said. “That’s something we can definitely learn from.”
It didn’t matter, though, as the Texans held on for a 29-27 win.
Those Texans free agents on offense paid off in a big way in the season opener.
Joe Mixon rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown and Stefon Diggs caught two touchdowns, leading Houston to a 29-27 win over the Colts. It was the Texans’ ninth consecutive division win on the road.
In a game of big plays, the biggest arguably was made by Nico Collins, showing why the Texans rewarded him with a three-year, $72.75 million deal in the offseason. On third-and-11 at the Houston 29 with two minutes remaining, Collins somehow caught a 12-yard pass from C.J. Stroud that he probably never saw.
Rookie cornerback Jaylon Jones got a finger on the pass, but Collins still caught it along the sideline and got a knee down inbounds. That deflated the Colts and the crowd, and three Mixon runs later, Stroud took two kneel downs. Collins caught six passes for 117 yards as Stroud went 24-of-32 for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
In his first game with Houston, Mixon had the third-most rushing yards in his career and his most since 2021 when he rushed for 161 for the Bengals against the Steelers. Mixon had only one 100-yard game for Cincinnati last season, rushing for 111 in Week 17.
Diggs had six receptions for 33 yards, with his touchdowns covering 9 and 2. His final touchdown came on fourth down and gave the Texans a 29-20 lead with 4:42 left.
But Anthony Richardson kept making big plays to bring the Colts back. He completed only 9 of 19 passes but for 212 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for a fourth-down touchdown and had 56 rushing yards on six carries.
Alec Pierce had three catches for 125 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown.
Joe Mixon is having quite the debut.
In his first game with the Texans, the running back has 119 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. It’s his most rushing yards since he gained 153 in Week 9 of 2022 in the Bengals’ victory over the Panthers.
He had only one 100-yard rushing day with the Bengals last season, rushing for 111 yards on 14 carries in Week 17.
Mixon’s 3-yard touchdown run with 13:41 remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Texans a 22-13 lead over the Colts. But Indianapolis since has scored on a 54-yard catch-and-run by Ashton Dulin on a nice throw by Anthony Richardson, cutting its deficit to 22-20.
The Texans could have a bigger lead, having outgained the Colts 317 to 230, but they botched a scoring opportunity at the end of the first half. The Colts also stayed in the game with a blocked punt.
Segun Olubi blocked Tommy Townsend’s punt late in the third quarter, and Trevor Denbow recovered at the Houston 5. Jonathan Taylor ran for a touchdown on the next play.
The Colts, though, went for 2 and the run failed.
The Texans lead the Colts 12-7 at halftime. It could be more.
Officials and Houston botched the end of the half. They reviewed a catch by Dalton Schultz that was upheld, but the review came after a spike by C.J. Stroud. Officials initially put 15 seconds on the clock, but after a Colts timeout to complain, the clock was reset to 5 seconds after a 10-second runoff. Officials gave the Colts their timeout back, though referee John Hussey didn’t do a good job in explaining the situation.
The clock didn’t start on the snap but before the snap, and time expired on a Stroud incompletion with the Texans at the Indianapolis 31.
Coach DeMeco Ryans took blame for not having his field goal unit on the field for the final play.
Stroud is 12-of-17 for 149 yards with a touchdown, with Nico Collins catching three for 79 yards. Stefon Diggs went over 10,000 receiving yards for his career on his first catch and his third went for a 9-yard touchdown.
Joe Mixon has nine carries for 55 yards, and Ka’imi Fairbairn has field goals of 51 and 50 yards.
Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has had his ups and downs. He threw a 60-yard dime to Alec Pierce but is only 6-of-12 for 93 yards with a touchdown and an interception, a Calen Bullock pick with the Colts threatening. Richardson has four carries for 43 yards, and Jonathan Taylor has run for 30 yards on 10 carries.
The Texans have outgained the Colts 207 to 155.
Stefon Diggs is playing with his third team in 10 seasons.
He has his first 27 yards with the Texans and his first touchdown.
Diggs has one run for 6 yards and three catches for 21 yards. He entered the game with 9,995 receiving yards, so his first catch — a 10-yarder — put him over 10,000 for his career.
His 68th career receiving touchdown likely meant more.
Diggs caught a 9-yard slant from C.J. Stroud for the Texans’ first touchdown of the season. Houston went for 2, and Joe Mixon was stopped short.
The Texans, though, have scored on all three possessions thus far, with 51 and 50 yard field goals by Ka’imi Fairbairn. Houston leads 12-7.
Stroud is 8-of-10 for 113 yards and a touchdown.
The Colts went for it on fourth down on their first drive, and Anthony Richardson badly overthrew Adonai Mitchell, giving Houston the ball at its own 46. The Texans converted the good field position into an opening-drive field goal.
But Richardson came right back to show why the Colts used the fourth overall pick in 2023 on him.
Richardson threw a 60-yard dime to Alec Pierce, who was well covered by Derek Stingley Jr. and Jimmie Ward. It completed a three-play, 73-yard drive and gave the Colts a 7-3 lead with 5:12 remaining in the first quarter.
The Texans added a second Ka’imi Fairbairn 50-yard-plus field goal to close the deficit to 7-6 with 1:37 left in the quarter.
The new turf in Indianapolis has been a factor thus far, with both teams having problems keeping their footing. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud completed a fourth-down pass from his knees after slipping.
Every week we bring you all the inactives from the 1 p.m. ET games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s status for Sunday’s game has been closely watched all week because the wideout has reportedly been on the fence about playing without a contract extension in place. Chase warmed up on the field before the home game against New England on Sunday morning and he is active for the season opener.
That suggests Chase will play, but there have been a lot of twists and turns with the receiver since the start of training camp so we’ll see if he has his usual role. The Bengals will take as much as they can get with Tee Higgins out and the chance to start the year with a win on the line against the Patriots.
Bengals at Patriots
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins, WR Kendric Pryor, EDGE Cedric Johnson, T Amarius Mims, TE Tanner McLachlan, DT Kris Jenkins
Patriots: QB Joe Milton, WR Javon Baker, LB Curtis Jacobs, G Sidy Sow, T Zachary Thomas, T Demontrey Jacobs, DT Eric Johnson
Cardinals at Bills
Cardinals: WR Xavier Weaver, TE Travis Vokolek, OL Jon Gaines, DB Darren Hall, LB Jesse Luketa
Bills: T Ryan Van Demark, DE Dawuane Smoot, S Cole Bishop, LB Joe Andreessen, LB Eddie Ulofoshio, C Sedrick Van-Pran Granger, DE Javon Solomon
Vikings at Giants
Vikings: CB Fabian Moreau, DB Dwight McGlothern, WR Trishton Jackson, DT Levi Drake Rodriguez, DT Jalen Redmond, T Walter Rouse, QB Brett Rypien
Giants: S Anthony Johnson, CB Tre Hawkins, LB Boogie Basham, G Jake Kubas, QB Tommy DeVito
Titans at Bears
Titans: S Jamal Adams, LB Otis Reese, OL John Ojukwu, TE David Martin-Robinson, TE Thomas Odukoya, LB Ali Gaye
Bears: WR Tyler Scott, RB Roschon Johnson, OL Kiran Amegadjie, OL Bill Murray, DT Zacch Pickens, LB Noah Sewell, DE Dominique Robinson
Panthers at Saints
Panthers: S Jammie Robinson, CB Shemar Bartholomew, C Andrew Raym, G Jarrett Kingston, TE Tommy Tremble, TE Messiah Swinson, DE LaBryan Ray
Saints: WR A.T. Perry, QB Spencer Rattler, DT Khalen Saunders, LB D’Marco Jackson, LB Jaylan Ford, TE Dallin Holker, DT John Ridgeway
Steelers at Falcons
Steelers: QB Russell Wilson, WR Roman Wilson, DB Jalen Elliott, OL Isaac Seumalo, DL Dean Lowry
Falcons: RB Jase McClellan, CB Antonio Hamilton, DL Brandon Dorlus, OL Jovaughn Gwyn, WR Casey Washington, DL Ruke Orhorhoro
Jaguars at Dolphins
Jaguars: S Daniel Thomas, OL Javon Foster, OL Cole Van Lanen, DT Esezi Otomewo, DT Jordan Jefferson, DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
Dolphins: RB Jaylen Wright, CB Ethan Bonner, LB Channing Tindall, LB Mo Kamara, OL Andrew Meyer, WR Malik Washington
Texans at Colts
Texans: WR John Metchie, RB Cam Akers, S M.J. Stewart, LB Jamal Hill, G Nick Broeker
Colts: C Tanor Bortolini, WR Josh Downs, QB Sam Ehlinger, CB Dallis Flowers, T Blake Freeland, K Matt Gay, TE Will Mallory
Spencer Shrader may be handling the kicking duties for the Colts on Sunday.
The Colts announced that they elevated Shrader from the practice squad on Saturday. Matt Gay is listed as questionable to play against the Texans on Sunday after having surgery to repair a hernia recently.
Shrader signed with the Colts after going undrafted out of Notre Dame and joined the practice squad after clearing waivers last month.
The Colts also elevated cornerback Chris Lammons. He played in four games for the team last season and made six tackles.
Wide receiver Josh Downs is the only player the Colts ruled out due to injury.
Colts wide receiver Josh Downs will not be on the field against the Texans this Sunday.
Downs hurt his ankle during training camp in August and has not returned to practice yet. Head coach Shane Steichen said on Wednesday that Downs’s condition is improving, but the wideout was ruled out on Friday.
Downs works out of the slot for the Colts and second-round pick Adonai Mitchell could pick up snaps alongside Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce in the opener. Ashton Dulin and fifth-rounder Anthony Gould are also part of the receiver group in Indy.
Kicker Matt Gay has also been out of practice this week as he recovers from hernia surgery. He has not been ruled out at this point, however. Rookie Spencer Shrader will kick if Gay doesn’t play this week.