3 Winners and 2 Losers from the Colts Week 2 win
The Indianapolis Colts earned their first win of the season this past week against the Houston Texans 31-20 The Colts had a really strong showing in Week 2, but who shined the brightest, and who is starting to look like the weakest links. 3 Winners & 2 Losers Winner: Colts Offensive Line The Colts offensive […]
The Indianapolis Colts earned their first win of the season this past week against the Houston Texans 31-20
The Colts had a really strong showing in Week 2, but who shined the brightest, and who is starting to look like the weakest links.
3 Winners & 2 Losers
Winner: Colts Offensive Line
The Colts offensive line had multiple questions surrounding the group heading into the season. And after Week 1's rough day on the ground, they needed a rebound in Week 2, and they delivered.
In the running game, they totaled 126 yards on the day and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. And in the passing game, the unit didn't allow a single sack on the day, which they did with two different quarterbacks after Anthony Richardson's day ended prematurely with a concussion.
They must show they can do this consistently to get national-level respect for their play. But this performance is a gigantic step in the right direction for the unit.
Loser: Darrell Baker Jr.
While Week 2 ended with a Colts win, the play of starting CB Darrell Baker Jr. was beyond troublesome. The CB struggled to maintain his assignment throughout the entire game and was responsible for multiple big plays for the Texans as a result.
During training camp, the emergence of Baker Jr. from a "camp body" to the top corner on the depth chart was surprising, but he earned it. During Week 2, though he looked like the camp body, many thought he was from the beginning. Players have bad weeks, so we will give him the benefit of the doubt for now, but another week like this past one, the team may have to consider benching the corner going forward.
Winner: Colts Defensive Line
The Colts run defense has been as advertised to start the year, making their opponents work for every yard they can, which isn’t many. They corraled a talented young RB in Dameon Pierce to 15 carries for 31, which is only an average of 2.1 yards per carry.
Their pass rush though was as disruptive as we've seen in recent memory. The group combined for six sacks on the day. Which topped the five sacks the Texans allowed in Week 1 to the Baltimore Ravens.
It shouldn't be expected that the group totals six sacks a week by any means, but the amount of pressure they've created through two weeks seems like a positive sign for the team going forward.
Loser: Alec Pierce
One of the biggest training camp stars was 2nd year WR Alec Pierce. A significant reason for this was the deep ball connection he and Anthony Richardson seemed to be developing in front of fans during practice.
That connection is yet to show itself on the field, though, as through two weeks, Pierce's play has been lackluster.
Week 1: 1 reception, 5 yards
Week 2: 2 receptions, 28 yards
The Colts easing Richardson into the offense through the first two weeks has limited the amount of deep ball opportunity for a WR like Pierce. But if Pierce wants to be a part of the team's long-term plans, he will need to find a way to produce at a consistent rate that isn't so dependent on the deep ball.
Winner: Zack Moss
After Week 1, there wasn't much hope surrounding the Colts running game, but Zack Moss single-handedly flipped the switch. Moss made his season debut in Week 2, and to say the team didn't ease him back would be an understatement.
Moss' performance warranted this type of usage as the RB would end the day with 18 rushes, 88 yards (4.9 avg), and a touchdown. This stat line by Moss more than tripled the entire stat line produced by the Colts RB room in Week 1 (25 yards).
After Week 1, many, including myself, were calling for the Colts to make a move at RB, but Moss' performance Sunday should halt those conversations for the time being.
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Featured Image By: Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
