RUN OFFENSE
Come Tuesday afternoon, we’ll know Jonathan Taylor’s fate. Rumors are flying; hell, they’ve been flying for weeks. It just makes too much sense to trade him, unless they believe they can get a better deal a couple of months from now – which, to me, sounds like a dicey proposition. So does Taylor want out of Indy? He’s been nothing but complimentary of the organization and the city, but he hasn’t denied that he’s asked for a trade. Does he want out? And if he does, can you blame him? He’s rotting here in Indy, having registered his 16th straight sub-100-yard rushing day. Without a deep threat who can keep defenders honest, opposing teams are loading the box and daring the Colts to run. If ever he was going to break that streak, Sunday would have been the day; the Cowboys entered the game as the worst rushing defense in the league. Taylor, who has seen his snap count diminish in recent weeks, finished with 46 yards on 13 carries. If he does get traded, I have a lot of faith in rookie Seth McGowan, who once again showed some pop Sunday.
Grade: B-
RUN DEFENSE
This is a different (worse) defense without DeForest Buckner, who normally commanded double teams. The Cowboys ran effectively all day: Javonte Williams: 20 carries, 101 yards, 5.1 average. Former Colt Tyler Goodson: 12 carries, 77 yards, 6.4 yards per carry. A huge game for safety Hunter Wohler, who finished with 16 (!) tackles, six of them unassisted. Bryce Boettcher had 11 and CJ Allen, who has come along nicely (finally), had 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass defensed.
Grade: C-
PASS OFFENSE:
Here’s all you need to know about the Colts wide receiving corps, arguably the worst in the league: Keenan Allen, a late training camp addition, is the team’s leading pass catcher. Josh Downs, who has requested a trade and will likely be accommodated, had a second straight poor performance. One week after shying away from attempting to recover a fumble, he dropped two huge passes, including one late in the fourth quarter that could have salted the game away. He makes the first down there, the Colts can eat clock, kick the field goal and leave Dallas with little or no time to answer. Can anybody check on Tyler Warren, who’s been very quiet in recent weeks? Kudos to Ashton Dulin, who just makes plays whenever he’s called upon.
Grade: C-
PASS DEFENSE
I’ve got questions for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who talks to the media on Tuesdays: With Dallas receiver George Pickens out, why not double-team CeeDee Lamb, who had 10 catches for 195 yards and a touchdown? At the very least, why not have Sauce Gardner travel with Lamb all over the field and attempt to shut him down – or at least limit the damage? Tough look for Sauce, who got out-maneuvered by Ryan Flournoy on a 46-yard pass on the Cowboys touchdown drive that gave them a late 27-23 lead. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott completed 21-of-34 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns.
Grade: D+
SPECIAL TEAMS
Once again, Spencer Shrader revealed himself as the Colts’ most effective player this season – OK, he sent the opening kickoff out of bounds, but other than that… He kicked three field goals from 47, 50 and 59 yards. He tied Adam Vinatieri for third-most 50-plus-yard field goals in a season in Colts’ franchise history. Solid game, again, from Rigoberto Sanchez, with a 45.8 yard net and three punts inside the 20-yard line. Anthony Gould returned two kicks for a 24.5-yard average.
Grade: B
COACHING
By now, there’s not much Shane Steichen can do to get this train back on the tracks. Offensively, this team is in shambles. Again, the receiver group is terrible without Alec Pierce (why even bother trying to come back this season?), the offensive line has become a bit leaky and the quarterback, Daniel Jones, has reverted to the form he showed when the Giants let him go. I still believe Steichen is a good-to-very-good offensive coordinator – we saw that through the first 10 games of last season – but the lack of talent has undermined his ability to do what he wants to do. With nobody to stretch the field, the offense is punchless.
Grade: B
INTANGIBLES
Even Jones, who doesn’t say much that could be considered revealing, spoke up Sunday about the many distractions that have impacted the Colts these last two weeks. Look, these guys are human beings, some of them with a wife and kids, and the swirling rumors are burrowing into their brains. Taylor talked about it Sunday: He said he tries to avoid social media as much as humanly possible, but in this day and age, it’s almost impossible. Last week’s performance in Jacksonville was putrid but not unexpected after a week when Buckner and Nelson were dealt. They were vastly more competitive against Dallas, and once the deadline passes, I fully expect things to settle down. The Colts also have some winnable games coming up, starting with equally awful Miami next Sunday. That should be a classic.
Grade: B