Dopey Report Card: Colts vs. Chargers

Lots of terrific grades, with one notable exception. This is one you wouldn't mind bringing home to show your parents.

RUN OFFENSE

Jonathan Taylor would have run for more than 94 yards on 16 carries, but the end zone kept getting in the way. (I like to roll out that line now and again). JT, the fantasy team superstar, scored three touchdowns and became the first Colt to have at least three touchdowns in three separate games in the same season. And he’s done it in SEVEN GAMES! Most impressive, the Colts went 2-for-2 in the red zone and have now converted touchdowns on 12 consecutive red zone trips. The Colts, owners of the league’s most productive offense, have scored 30 points or more in five of seven games. And scored 29 in the victory over Denver. I should also say, I like Ameer Abdullah’s game. Runs hard.

Grade: B

RUN DEFENSE

How dominant was DeForest Buckner? He’s gotten lost in the shuffle of team-wide mediocrity in recent years, but he remains one of the most impactful interior defensive linemen in the league. He had five tackles (four solo), two tackles for loss and two sacks. Nick Cross was active as usual, finishing with six solo tackles, one pass defense and his first interception of the season -- in the end zone, no less. I didn’t realize this until I looked at the Colts’ post-game notes: They’ve now had a red-zone interception in three straight games. Should also mention the Chargers, who were in catch-up mode most of the game, ran for just 54 yards.

Grade: A

PASS OFFENSE

It doesn’t feel like all that long ago that we were gnashing our teeth about the Colts’ lack of receiving weapons. No longer. This is actually one of the best receiving corps in the league, even if they miss a marquee name. Josh Downs is a terrific slot receiver. Michael Pittman Jr. is a human chain mover, a possession receiver with the ability to win contested passes. Alec Pierce, who is looking at a nice contract in his near future, has rounded out his game, is no longer a one-trick pony who only catches go-balls. Credit again to the offensive line for giving Daniel Jones plenty of time. He’s now gotten sacked six times in seven games. Oh, and maybe you noticed: Anthony Gould got most of AD Mitchell’s snaps. He’s still in the doghouse. May be there a while.

Grade: A-

PASS DEFENSE

OK, you want something to complain about? Here you go. But you’ve got to remember, the Colts were playing reserves at the two corner spots, and Kenny Moore was just coming back from an Achilles injury. Once the Colts got a nice lead, they played a deep shell to guard against the big plays. They were more than willing to give up some yards. Now, is there a deeper problem? Without question. Jacoby Brissett threw for 320 yards against this group. What it tells me is Chris Ballard needs to be aggressive about acquiring cornerback help. While he’s at it, he might as well pull off a seismic deal for an edge rusher. Laiatu Latu is coming along, but he’s not yet a game-changer, and there are a few who might be available on the market. Maybe they can put Big Grove back there, given the quality of his heavily-bandaged hands. Big Man Interception. Love it. Another reason to worry, if only a little: LA converted on 8-of-16 third downs.

Grade: D

SPECIAL TEAMS

A mixed bag. Gould briefly misplayed the opening kickoff and Michael Badgley miss an extra point, which was bad. The return game shined, Abdullah ran back a kickoff 81 yards to set up a Colts score and Rigoberto Sanchez was Rigoberto Sanchez.

Grade: C+

COACHING

Shane Steichen did it again. He tricked an opposing coach to call timeout by running the offense onto the field in apparent punting situations. Jim Harbaugh, flustered, called a timeout his team could have used. I’m not a knee-jerk supporter of going for it on virtually every short fourth down situation -- I actually lean conservative in that area -- but I thought Steichen had his finger on the pulse by going for it three times on an early touchdown drive. When your offense is operating with this kind of efficiency, why the heck not? Seven games in, that’s your Coach of the Year.

Grade: A

INTANGIBLES

Be honest, you weren’t sold lock, stock and barrel on the Colts. They’d beaten just one team with a winning record in their first six games. The Chargers -- or were those the Savannah Bananas in those threads? -- came into the game 4-2 and looked like a playoff contender. (Although they did need a last-second field goal to beat putrid Miami one week ago.) This performance legitimizes the Colts, confirms that they are, in fact, as good as they’ve looked through the early portion of the schedule. What a time to be a local sports fan. Pacers went to the NBA Finals, Fever reached the conference finals, the Colts are 6-1, IU football is ranked second in the nation and Purdue is everybody’s preseason No. 1. That has nothing to do with intangibles; I just felt like mentioning it.

Grade: A