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Where will the Colts land in the NFL rankings after week two?

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) speaks to the team during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Sunday, September 8, 2024.

The Indianapolis Colts were unable to secure a Week 1 victory as they narrowly lost at home to the Houston Texans, a team many expect to make a splash this season.

The Colts' performance has been a rollercoaster ride and depending on your point of view, you can be encouraged by what you saw or concerned about certain aspects of their performance. I tend to lean toward the former.

Now that all of the Week 1 games are officially complete, everyone is releasing their updated Power Rankings for the second week of the season. Here's where the Colts currently stand in several of those rankings.

ESPN

September 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) celebrates with Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries (75) after scoring a touchdown at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn ImagesSeptember 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) celebrates with Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries (75) after scoring a touchdown at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

September 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) celebrates with Indianapolis Colts guard Will Fries (75) after scoring a touchdown at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Colts rankings: 20. (two places down)

ESPN has a power panel of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities who rate each team on a scale of 1 to 32. Overall, ESPN felt the Colts should slide down two spots after Sunday's performance. That's not a huge fall by any means, of course, but I was encouraged by this performance by the resilience the team showed and Richardson's play rather than disappointed by what we saw.

CBS Sports

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws the ball before the game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, September 8, 2024.Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws the ball before the game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws the ball before the game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

Colts Ranking: 23. (one place down)

CBS Sports pointed to Anthony Richardson's great plays, but ultimately they let the Colts down because of their run defense, which “could be a big problem in the future.”

Professional football talk

September 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) passes Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn ImagesSeptember 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) passes Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

September 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) passes Indianapolis Colts cornerback Jaylon Jones (40) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Colts Ranking: 22. (one place down)

On both sides of the ball, the Colts need to be better in the running game. The Texans' ability to dominate on the ground led to them controlling the clock and running 33 more plays than the Colts' offense. Meanwhile, a weak running game on offense only makes things more difficult for Richardson and the passing game.

The athlete

September 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws a pass during the second half against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn ImagesSeptember 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws a pass during the second half against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

September 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws a pass during the second half against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Colts rankings: 18. (no change)

I agree. No matter how you ranked the Colts at the start of the season, I would have left them there after Week 1. There were positives, there were negatives, and they almost beat a team that many expected to win the division and make the playoffs.

NFL.com

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.

Colts rankings: 22. (one place down)

Eric Edholm mentioned the positives of the Colts' performance, particularly Richardson's ability to make big plays, but also the negatives, particularly the run defense, which led to an uneven battle for time of possession. Edholm by no means called the Colts' play bad, but also said he wasn't sure what to make of it.

Bleacher Report

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis (94) tries to bring down Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, September 8, 2024.Indianapolis Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis (94) tries to bring down Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis (94) tries to bring down Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

Colts rankings: 20. (no change)

While moral victories don't factor into the discussion of wins and losses, the Bleacher Report team mentions that the Colts have a lot of positives to take from this game. Now it's all about figuring out how to win these close matchups.

This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Where do the Colts land in the Week 2 NFL rankings?

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