Tag: Andrew Luck

Colts get the win; rookie linebacker has stellar performance

The Colts did something on Sunday, that they had not done since week 15 of the 2016-17 season. They held an opponent under 10 points. In a game that featured tight end Eric Ebron and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton finding paydirt for the second straight week, the Colts defense was really the bigger headline. To open the game, Indianapolis drove 75 yards on 11 plays to go up 7-0. From that point, they would never trail, but weren’t without mistakes. The next two Colts drives would be a three and out, and a three play drive that ended in an interception (the first of two Andrew Luck interceptions). Following the pick, the Redskins drove 27 yards in 5 plays, settling for a 49 yard field goal. The Redskins momentum would be short lived though, as the Colts marched down the field on the next drive, capping it with an 8 yard Nyheim Hines touchdown. This put Indianapolis up 14-3, and they would take that lead into halftime.

To open the second half, the Redskins ran an 8 play 38 yard drive that fizzled out near midfield, as the Colts defense forced Washington to punt for a fifth time on the day. The next Indianapolis drive would be costly, as Andrew Luck threw a bad pass into double coverage. The pass found it’s way into D.J Swearinger’s hands for a second time. The interception would allow Washington to put three more points on the board, making the game 14-6. The Colts faced their 4th three and out of the game on the very next drive, which gave the Redskins a bit of momentum. Still, the momentum would only go so far, as the Washington offense was stopped in the red zone. They would settle for another Dustin Hopkins field goal, and inch closer to a score of 14-9. That’s as close as the Redskins would get on Sunday. Indianapolis answered right back with their only long drive of the second half. T.Y. Hilton would cap the 13 play drive with a touchdown, putting the Colts back up by 12 points. The next Redskins drive showed that the Colts may have found a second round gem in this year’s draft. Rookie linebacker Darius Leonard (18 tackles/1 sack/1 forced fumble) knocked the ball from of the hands of Washington tight end Jordan Reed, while cornerback Pierre Desir jumped on top for the recovery. The turnover, with five minutes left in the game, proved insurmountable for the Redskins. Washington would get one more chance to put points on the board, but the Colts defense once again stood their ground, forcing the Redskins into a turnover on downs. 21-9 is the final, and there are quite a few big takeaways from this game, as the Colts prepare for the Eagles next Sunday.

Takeaways

1) Jordan Wilkins was productive: The Colts rookie quietly rushed 10 times for 61 yards (6.1 avg). Indianapolis will need this type of ground production in order to keep the pressure off of Andrew Luck.

2) Darius Leonard was a beast: Rookies who act like veterans are my favorite kind of rookies. Leonard stepped up on Sunday with 18 tackles, a sack, and a key forced fumble in the fourth quarter. This could be the beginning of something special for this young Colts defense.

3) Colts can win, even when Andrew Luck isn’t playing his best ball: A fairly pedestrian day, Luck only threw for 179 yards, and also threw two interceptions. The turnovers could have been costly, but the defense stepped up, and held the Washington offense two field goals as opposed to touchdowns.

4) Indianapolis might have more defensive depth than we realize: Defensive tackle Jihad Ward, who had been taking up space on the Colts, had a great day. With a sack and 3 quarterback pressures (led team), we may see Ward on the field again next weekend.

5) The offensive line held up, even with missing pieces: Coming into the game, Washington’s defensive front looked worrisome. The Colts have lost three offensive linemen since the start of the preseason, and were thought to be a week unit. However, this line managed to show excellent resolve, keeping Luck upright (gave up only 1 sack for -2 yards) and paving the way for Colts running backs (running backs ran for 4.25 yards per carry)

Week 2 preview: Colts @ Redskins

The Colts face their first road opponent this week, as they travel to FedEx Field to battle the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are boasting a new look offense this season, featuring quarterback Alex Smith (formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs) and late preseason addition, running back Adrian Peterson (2012 League MVP). The last time these two teams met was in 2014. That game went very well for the Colts, as they cruised to a 49-27 victory, thanks to 5 Andrew Luck touchdown passes. The two teams do not play each other very frequently, but the Colts historically own the matchups, going 20-12 in a series that dates back to 1950. Indianapolis has won 4 of the last 5 games in the series, not taking a loss since 2002.

Indianapolis should expect to hear added pressure around the NFL this week, as a loss to the Redskins would mark a fifth straight year of starting their season 0-2. Coming off of a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis looks to build on the positives, of which there are a few. The Colts defense is deceptively one of those positives. Even though they squandered a 13 point lead, the Colts defense actually found some success in containing Andy Dalton and big play receiver AJ Green. Indianapolis forced an early interception due to great pressure by the defensive line, and recovered an AJ Green fumble. Safety, Matthias Farley nearly recovered a second Green fumble, after knocking the ball loose in the 4th quarter.

Another bright spot in the Colts defense was rookie linebacker Darius Leonard. Leonard played the most snaps of any Colts defender (56), and would go on to have 9 total tackles and a fumble recovery. The second round draft pick out of South Carolina State, could end up being a building block for a young Colts defense that is looking to establish an identity.

Of course, we can’t forget about Andrew Luck’s passing performance! The veteran quarterback shook off the rust, and compiled an impressive statistical performance. Going 39-53 (73%) with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, Luck showed his shoulder is as healthy as ever. Hopefully, he won’t have to throw 53 times every week, but it is good to know that his arm can handle the workload.

Even with a healthy Andrew Luck, Indianapolis will have their work cut out for them this week. The Washington Redskins are coming off of a solid 24-6 road victory against last year’s #6 defense, the Arizona Cardinals. Led by Alex Smith, Washington had a huge 21 point second quarter and never looked back on a dominant day. Smith’s stat line for the day was 21-30/255 yards/2 touchdowns/0 interceptions. Arizona running back David Johnson would put a touchdown on the board with 5:47 left in the game, but it was too little too late for the Cardinals. The Redskins rushing attack was also at work, with their running backs totaling 168 yards on 34 carries. Most of the ground damage was dealt by Adrian Peterson, who carried the ball 26 times for 96 yards and a touchdown.

To me, the score of the Cincinnati Bengals game didn’t indicate how close the Colts were to actually winning. Perhaps if not for a late Jack Doyle fumble, the result may have been much different. That being said, I don’t think the week one result should all be put on Doyle. The Bengals closed the week one matchup with 24 unanswered points, as the Indianapolis offense struggled to put together scoring drives in the second half. Going into this weekend, you can expect the Colts coaching staff to preach playing a full four quarters of football. The return of left tackle Anthony Castonzo (and potentially running back Marlon Mack) will help the Colts, but I think the Redskins defense will still be a little too tough for this Indianapolis offense.

My week 2 prediction:

Colts 20 Redskins 24

Photo Credit (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Late fumble spoils Colts season opener

The Colts pulled out a piece of 2017 in the final minutes of their matchup against the Bengals this afternoon. Unfortunately for Indianapolis, it was a bad piece. Trailing 27-23 with less than a minute left, Andrew Luck and the Colts attempted to make another classic fourth quarter comeback. Andrew Luck tossed a would be first down pass to Tight End Jack Doyle, but Doyle could not secure it, as he turned up field and fumbled it away. The fumble would then be picked up by Bengals Safety Clayton Fejedelem, and returned 83 yards for a Cincinnati touchdown to seal a Bengals victory.

After an early interception to start the game, Andrew Luck and the Colts offense settled in. Luck’s final stat line was 39-53 for 319 yards, 2 touchdowns, and that first quarter interception. If there is one positive to take out of this game, it’s that Andrew Luck has certainly shown he can outlast an NFL game. Taking multiple hard hits, (one of which led to a Bengals ejection) two sacks, and 53 pass attempts was probably enough for two games worth of action; However, Luck popped right back up on every play, as he showed the grit and determination of a grizzled NFL veteran.

Indianapolis definitely has a few things to work on heading into next week. Here are 3 things the Colts need to tighten up on, as they head into next week.

  1. Don’t make Luck do everything! We love our quarterback, and we want to see him out there all season. A poor rushing attack was a big reason why Luck threw 53 passes.
  2. Establish a running game. The Indianapolis running backs combined for just 68 yards on 21 carries.
    Don’t make critical turnovers/Keep creating turnovers. It was a fantastic start for the Colts defense, as the got great pressure on Bengals Quarterback Andy Dalton on his second pass attempt. Colts defensive back Kenny Moore intercepted Dalton after a tipped pass, nearly returning it for a touchdown. That put the Colts in the red zone early, but two plays later the Bengals defense would force an Andrew Luck interception (the first of two red zone turnovers by the Colts), spoiling the big play by Moore.
  • The Colts will look to get their first victory next week against the Washington Redskins in Washington D.C. next Sunday.
  • The Bengals will look to build on their win, as they will have a short week, hosting the Baltimore Ravens this Thursday.