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Indianapolis Colts' rookie quarterback Riley Leonard’s first start came against the No. 1 ranked defense in the league, and he stepped up to the challenge in a major way.
He became the first rookie quarterback with two-plus passing touchdowns and one-plus rushing touchdown in a first career start since Brock Purdy in 2022.
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He started the game hot, when his first passing attempt connected with wide receiver Alec Pierce for a 66-yard touchdown to take a 7-3 lead over the Houston Texans.
He found Pierce again moments before halftime with an eight-yard touchdown pass to cap off an eight-play, 92-yard drive to cut the Texans’ lead to three.
Houston kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn nailed a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the half to extend the Texans' lead to six, but Leonard quickly responded in the second half.
Leonard connected with Pierce again for another huge deep ball, this time for 53 yards, which brought Indianapolis down to the one-yard line.
Then, Leonard took matters into his own hands and kept the ball on the ground for a one-yard touchdown rush to retake a 24-23 lead.
Fairbairn and Blake Groupe traded field goals late in the third quarter, and Indianapolis held a one-point lead entering the fourth. However, this is when the Colts' offense began to unravel. Leonard threw an interception on Indianapolis's own 33-yard line, which let Fairbairn knock in a 44-yard field goal in a short field to take a 29-27 lead. Yet, Leonard responded and drove the Colts 61 yards down the field on a 14-play drive that took just over eight and a half minutes; however, they had to settle for a field goal to retake a 30-29 lead. But what the Colts really needed was a touchdown. The Texans drove 40 yards down the field to set up Fairbairn for a 43-yarder, which he nailed with 12 seconds remaining in the game to take a 31-30 lead. Leonard had one final chance at redemption, as the Colts began to run a plethora of hook and ladders, but when the ball got back to Leonard, he coughed it up to defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, who ran back a 17-yard scoop and score to add an exclamation point to the Texans' 38-30 victory. Entering Week 18, Leonard played in just four games, where he threw for just 145 yards and two interceptions, completing 18 of 33 attempts. All 18 of those completions came in Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars after Daniel Jones exited the game early with a torn Achilles. He also ran for his first career touchdown, a six-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter to cut Jacksonville’s lead to 17.He finished the game setting new career-highs in all categories. He completed 21 of 34 attempts for 270 yards and two touchdowns, while he ran for 21 yards and a touchdown on three carries. While it seems that Jones could return as Indianapolis’ starting quarterback in 2026, Leonard proved that he is more than a viable backup.
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This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Closer look at Riley Leonard's first start for Colts at quarterback
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