Why the Colts (mostly) hold steady in NFL power rankings

It's time to overreact to NFL season openers! But not so much for the Indianapolis Colts .

They lost their Week 1 game , but they've done that for a decade running (except for a tie in 2022).

Quarterback Anthony Richardson made some spectacular plays and had some bad misses. That's his reputation.

They stayed with the defending AFC South champions despite getting gouged for more than 200 rushing yards .

Considering all that, the Colts aren't losing much ground in the NFL power rankings heading into Week 2. In some cases, they're moving up.

Colts vs Packers betting odds: Quarterbacks make all the difference

Colts in NFL power rankings for Week 2

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports : 23rd, down 1 from last week

Anthony Richardson hit some big plays to keep the Colts in the game against the Texans, but the defense wasn't good. The run defense was gashed, which could be a major problem going forward.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo : 19th, down 1

Anthony Richardson had a throwback game. Norm Van Brocklin was a Hall of Fame quarterback with a 53.6% career completion percentage, but he averaged 8.2 yards per attempt, one of the best marks ever. Joe Namath completed 50.1% of his passes but at 7.4 yards per attempt. The game has evolved so much that it's weird to see a quarterback have a line of 9 of 19 for 212 yards, which were Richardson's numbers on Sunday. It wasn't a one-off either; this is pretty much who Richardson will be. He can hit big passes downfield but the evolution he needs is keeping the sticks moving at the short and intermediate levels.

Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk : 22nd, down 1

They might not win many games, but they’ll be fun to watch this year.

Eric Edholm, NFL.com : 22nd, down 1

Anthony Richardson completed nine passes against the Texans, and the degree of difficulty on some of those nine was incredibly high -- none more than the 60-yard bomb to Alec Pierce. I’m not sure I’ve seen many more impressive throws, honestly. Richardson finished the game with three completions of 50-plus yards and runs of 10, 13 and 19 yards, plus a tough TD run late to keep the Colts in it. But he missed 10 of his 19 throws and threw a red-zone pick, and the Colts ran only 43 plays all game. Some of it was because of efficiency; they averaged 7.0 yards per play. But it also meant Houston controlled the clock with a stunning 2:1 ratio. Despite sacking C.J. Stroud four times, the Colts couldn’t get off the field defensively because of their poor tackling and run fills, something that wasn’t regarded as a problem area coming into the season. It was hardly a bad showing overall in Week 1, but I’m still not sure what to make of this team.

Robert Zeglinski, For the Win : 17th, up 1

No one had a tougher opener than the Colts, who were forced to play the rival Houston Texans, a team many have penciled in for the AFC title game. Fortunately for Indy, Anthony Richardson was more than up to the task, generating over 260 yards of offense and three touchdowns by himself. While he's an unpolished product, this is the tantalizing Richardson the Colts were more than willing to wait for. If Richardson and Shane Steichen continue to build good chemistry, Indy will be officially on the sleeper contender watch list.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News : 25th, down 2

The Colts should be happy to see Anthony Richardson healthy and delivering as a dynamic dual threat, making big runs and deep balls look much easier than they are. They should be really concerned about having more holes than expected defensively.

Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated : 17th

Juxtaposing C.J. Stroud’s spray chart with Anthony Richardson’s would seem to be a bit of cruelty but I disagree: I think Richardson has all the difficult parts of the QB game sorted out. He’s got God-given size and traits. Speed. Fearlessness. From there, learning to work the middle of the field should take time but it won’t be impossible. Shane Steichen has a kind of reverse Jalen Hurts surgery to perform on his quarterback but Sunday showed that both coach and QB are up for the challenge.

Anthony DiBona, Pro Football Network : 15th

The Colts ultimately lost to the Texans in an AFC South shootout, 29-27, but the biggest takeaway from the game could be the arrival of Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

After Richardson’s rookie season was plagued by injuries, he returned with an epic performance in Week 1 against the Texans. Despite completing just nine passes, Richardson threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

Nate Davis, USA TODAY : 9th, up 2

QB Anthony Richardson averaged more than 23 yards per completion and more than 9 yards per rush Sunday. But when you only run 43 plays, you're likely to run your league-worst Week 1 winless streak to 11 seasons.

ESPN : 20th, down 2

The Colts' minimal roster turnover this season yielded few choices here, but rookie Adonai Mitchell demonstrated his ability despite catching only one pass for 2 yards. Two overthrows on deep balls from QB Anthony Richardson were disappointing because Mitchell had easily beaten his defender. On one, Mitchell's route was so good that Houston CB Kamari Lassiter had no choice but to grab Mitchell as he ran past him, drawing an illegal contact penalty. Look for Mitchell to have an impact in the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why the Colts (mostly) hold steady in NFL power rankings