Top headlines going into Texans vs. Colts for Week 1 at NRG Stadium.

At long last, Texans football is back. Houston hosts the Colts in the regular season opener on Liberty White Out Day presented by Community Coffee. Here are five things to watch when the AFC South rivals kick off at Noon CT Sunday inside NRG Stadium.

Rookie Running Back Dameon Pierce only played in a pair of preseason games this August, but the fourth-rounder out of Florida was electrifying. He averaged 7.8 yards per carry in August, and didn’t shy away from contact. To nobody’s surprise, he was listed as the starter on the team’s depth chart earlier this week, and he’s up for the challenge of his first regular season contest.

“Other than winning, I want to play the best ball I can play,” Pierce said. “Stay healthy, stay happy and bring my teammates along the way.”

His teammates, and coaches, have liked what they’ve seen from Pierce since he arrived in May. Improving upon an NFL-worst 3.4 yards per carry in 2021 is a must if this team wants to win more games in 2022, and Pierce will play a big factor in that, starting against Indianapolis. According to veteran Wide Receiver Brandin Cooks, the rookie’s done all the right things so far.

“The way he’s been coming to work from the moment he has stepped into this building, you can see he’s about his business,” Cooks said. “He’s been running at a high level. One thing I continue to tell him is to never get comfortable, always find ways to improve, and I think he took that to heart because you see him go out there every day working on something.”

This will be the first game action since last season for Cooks, Pro Bowl Left Tackle Laremy Tunsil and Center Justin Britt. That trio, along with Tight End Pharaoh Brown, didn’t play a snap in the preseason, but all four are expected to start Sunday versus the Colts. Offensive Coordinator Pep Hamilton didn’t do anything exotic, offensively, during the thre preseason games, and Quarterback Davis Mills is looking forward to opening up the…