Tag: Darius Leonard

Derek Barnett trips up Andrew Luck to preserve Eagles victory

In a situation that many fans didn’t expect to see, the Colts had an opportunity in the waning moments to steal a win in rainy Philadelphia. After trading blows all day, the Eagles began (and nearly ended) the fourth quarter, by running a exhausting 17 play drive that lasted 11 minutes and 18 seconds. Down 16-13, Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense started their game winning drive at their own 21. With consistent passing (8-8 on the drive), and a little help from penalties, (most notably a critical defensive hold on 4th and 5) the Eagles methodically marched down the field, eventually punching it into the end zone with a 13 yard strike from Wentz to tight end Dallas Goedert. That drive left Indianapolis with just 3:02 on the clock. The Colts would take possession at their 25 yard line, starting with a pass play from Andrew Luck to Nyhiem Hines for 12 yards. From there, the Colts would drive down the field into the Eagles red zone. At the Eagles 11, Luck threw a pass incomplete to Eric Ebron leading to second down. The next play, a 7 yards strike to Eric Swoope, put the ball on the Eagles 4 for a 3rd and 3. On 3rd down, Luck would try and float one in to T.Y. Hilton, but Hilton was unable to track the over the shoulder throw. Finally on 4th down, down 20-16, Luck dropped back to pass, evaded defensive end Derek Barnett for a moment, but couldn’t escape gravity, as Barnett caught Luck’s foot sending him to his knees for the sack. A quick 3 and out by the Eagles offense would allow the Colts offense to get back on the field with under a minute left. Playing a deep zone defense, the Eagles didn’t allow a deep pass, but did allow a few quick passes to Ebron and Hines to move the ball to midfield. With 5 seconds on the clock, head coach Frank Reich made an interesting decision. He brought on backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett to try a long Hail Mary. With the Colts on trips formation the Colts snapped the ball, Jacoby rolls out right and launches a deep rocket of a throw to the back of the end zone. With a sea of hands from Colts and Eagles players, the ball is tipped for a moment, but sadly falls to the turf, just out of reach of T.Y. Hilton. That’s how it would end.

The Colts, although unlucky in this game, do have some big takeaways.

  1. The defense showed up to play: For the second straight week, rookie linebacker Darius Leonard was a force. (13 tackles, 9 solo,5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 qb hits) The Colts finally have an identity on the defensive side of the ball, and it looks really promising. Indianapolis managed to sack Carson Wentz 5 times on the day, bringing the season sack total to 10. The switch to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 scheme has been virtually seamless, and Eberflus has them playing at a high level.
  2. Colts won the turnover battle: after at least 2 turnovers in their first two games, the Colts offense was clean in the turnover department this week. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate to too many points, but hey, it’s a stepping stone.
  3. Too many drops in the end zone: Eric Ebron, Chester Rogers, and T.Y. Hilton all missed scoring opportunities, as the ball slipped from their grasp. Much of that can be attributed to a rainy day, but they can’t squander key opportunities in the red zone.
  4. The Colts really need to establish a run game. Not having Marlon Mack (hamstring) or Rober Turbin (suspension), has really made the Colts offense one-dimensional. There is news in the rumor mill of Indianapolis exploring trade opportunities with the Pittsburgh Steelers for Le’Veon Bell, but unless that dream becomes a reality, we’re left with rookie Jordan Wilkins as our leading rusher. (6 carries for 19 yards in week 3)
  5. Congratulations to Adam Vinatieri, who is now tied with Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen with 635 career field goals. Vinatieri has truly had legendary career, and I would expect him to collect his gold jacket when he finally decides to hang up the cleats.
  • Overall, the Colts did do better than expected. With plenty of adjustments to make, the Colts did manage to make some highlights and keep fans interested. Indianapolis (1-2) takes on Houston (0-3) at home next Sunday for a divisional matchup. While Philadelphia (2-1) will travel to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans.

    • Week 3 preview: Colts @ Eagles

    After two weeks of play, I still don’t know what to make of this Indianapolis Colts team. I really want to believe they have something special brewing. With what seems to be a gem in Darius Leonard (2018 second round pick) and the excitement of Andrew Luck and his new receiving core being on the same page so quickly, one could be led to believe that the Colts might not be so bad. Then…I start looking into the schedule, and the stats. Over then next four weeks Indianapolis travels to Philadelphia to play the Eagles with Carson Wentz returning, comes home to a divisional opponent in the Texans, goes into Gillette Stadium on a short week to play the Patriots, and finally, takes a ride up to the Meadowlands to face off against the current number one defense of the New York Jets. Thank goodness they get a break against the hapless Buffalo Bills in week 7; However, that may not even be a walk in the park, because the Colts have lost 3 of the last 4 matchups against Buffalo (last won in 2012). After all of that, they get Oakland in the black hole for their 5th road game in 8 weeks. This could get pretty rough, but the only way to get through it is to take the boring, obvious mantra (one play at a time).

    For the Colts to get to the bye, they first have to get through the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s not going to be easy (they may not even do it) , but if they have just enough “Luck”, they might get it done. Here are a few keys to this weeks’ matchup:

    1. Andrew Luck has to be the 40 passing touchdowns version of himself, and not the 18 interceptions rookie year version. As consistent as Luck is passing (71.4%), he isn’t getting the scoring production he needs. He is tied for 11th in passing touchdowns (4), but is tied for second highest amount of interceptions (3). Indianapolis can’t afford to have Luck play at a mediocre level. For as much as they spent on him, and for the amount of time they waited for him to return, he has to be better.
    2. They need to have better offensive consistency. Three scoring drives might not be enough to get past most teams. Luckily, last week was an exception. The three 75 yard touchdown drives we saw were great last weekend, but the rest of the game wasn’t so hot. Every Indianapolis non-scoring drive in week 2 was a disaster. Let’s read in between the scores:

    1st half: 3 plays 4 yards (punt), 7 plays 58 yards (interception), 3 plays 8 yards (punt), 3 plays 6 yards (punt), 1 play -1 yards (kneel/end of half)

    2nd half: 3 plays 0 yards (interception), 3 plays 5 yards (punt), 4 plays 22 yards (punt), 1 -1 yards (kneel/ end of game)

    Five, 3 and outs are nothing to be proud of. The way I see it, the Colts failed to score at least a field goal on 70% of their offensive possessions last week (throwing out kneel scenarios). With an offensive minded coach (Reich) and a star quarterback (Luck), they should be clicking more often than 30%. If that lack of production bleeds into week 3, the Eagles will walk all over them.

    3. The defense we saw in week 2 needs to be their every game. Every level of defense was involved. The front 4 were plugging the holes, the run game was held in check, and they forced the quarterback to try and make plays. They played inspired, they played hungry, they were excited, and they were well prepared. Those are words we haven’t heard relating to the Colts defense since maybe the 2006 Super Bowl run.

    This week with the Eagles offense, the Colts have a giant test. Carson Wentz is back, the crowd in Philadelphia is always horrible (remember they booed Santa Claus), and Wentz has weapons. These weapons include second year receiver Nelson Agholor and veteran tight end Zach Ertz (each have 16 receptions in just two games). They also include an effective group of running backs (Ajayi, Clement, and Smallwood) who can kill with 4 and 5 yard bursts, or catch linebackers off guard in the passing game. On the other side of the ball, the Colts offense has to find ways to move the sticks against this Eagles defense. There are tons of household names on their defense. They have a great starting lineup and solid depth. Names like Haloti Ngata, Brandon Graham, and Fletcher Cox will have the offensive line busy. While names like Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby will try to frustrate the Colts thin receiving core. For the second week in a row, I’m picking against Indianapolis. I predict that the familiarity of Frank Reich’s offense, the spark the Eagles will have with Wentz returning, and the amount of playmakers on the Philly defense, will just be too much for this Indy team to handle. The Colts do have one thing going for them though..I’m 0-2 with my predictions this year.

    My prediction: Colts 16 Eagles 31

    Photo Credit- Brian Spurlock-USA Today Sports

    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)