Dopey Report Card (Colts vs. Seahawks)
A noble effort by the Colts against one of the league's elite teams, but not quite enough in the end as Seattle knocks off Indy, 18-16.
RUN OFFENSE
The Colts knew they had to run the football and the Seahawks knew the Colts had to run the football. Despite that, Indy did a nice job of staying ahead of the sticks, consistently running to set up third-and-short situations for Philip Rivers. Jonathan Taylor rushed 25 times for 87 yards, the highest number of rushing yards allowed by Seattle all season. Ameer Abdullah had some good moments too, both on offense and special teams.
Grade: C+
RUN DEFENSE
Here’s all you need to know: The Seahawks rushed for three yards in the first half. That’s the lowest first-half total the Colts have surrendered since at least 1991. The Colts overwhelmed Seattle on the line of scrimmage for most of the game, racking up five tackles for loss in the first half. Both linebackers, Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt, totaled 10 tackles apiece, and Laiatu Latu finished with three tackles for loss and a sack. Seattle has one of the most explosive offenses in the league (29.8 points per game), and the Colts held them out of the endzone – but still lost. Not bad for a team missing DeForest Buckner, Charvarius Ward and Sauce Gardner. Seattle finished with 50 yards rushing and 2-of-13 on third-down conversions.
Grade: A
PASS OFFENSE
This is what I expected, a run-heavy attack complemented by a (very) short passing game. Rivers could have used a little help early – Tyler Warren had a rare drop – but most of the throws were essentially long handoffs. Give credit to the offensive line, which was missing Braden Smith and later lost Bernhard Raimann to injury, for allowing just one sack of Rivers (which came when he slipped, regained his feet and then fell again to the turf). Rivers was 16-of-27 for 120 yards. He was an effective game manager; let’s put it that way.
Grade: D
PASS DEFENSE
Latu had an effective game, but the pass rush remains an issue. The Colts sacked Sam Darnold one time after a game in Jacksonville when they had no sacks or hurries. Kwity Paye, for one, has never lived up to his potential. If I’m Chris Ballard (or his replacement), I’m heading back into free agency or the draft to find another edge rusher. Or I’m bringing back Robert Mathis. Hey, if they could bring back Grandpa Phil, why not? Darnold passed for 276 yards and Jaxson Smith Njigba had seven catches. A solid effort by the Colts despite playing two backup corners.
Grade: C
SPECIAL TEAMS
A tremendous afternoon for the Colts’ special teams. Blake Grupe, playing in just his second game with Indy, blasted three lengthy field goals, including a career-high 60 yarder that gave the Colts a 16-15 lead with 47 seconds left. Rigo Sanchez had four punts that pinned the Seahawks inside the 20-yard line. Abdullah had two highly effective kick returns. And Tyler Goodson was all over the field making tackles on the punt- and kick-return teams.
Grade: A
COACHING
Yeah, they lost, but I thought this was a masterful coaching job both by Steichen and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Steichen knew he had to play it close to the vest with a quarterback returning after a five-year hiatus. He ran the ball frequently. He had Rivers completing short passes into tight windows. And Anarumo schemed up ways to slow down the second-highest-scoring team in the NFL. It was just the sixth time in team history the Colts have lost a game without surrendering a touchdown.
Grade: A-
INTANGIBLES
The best news to come out of this past weekend was word that Daniel Jones is on an aggressive recovery plan and should be ready to go by training camp. This assumes the Colts will re-sign him, an assumption I’m willing to make. Now, with the Colts falling out of the playoff race, the question turns to the futures of Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen? I’m inclined to give them a mulligan – they had the best team in the league through eight games – but I could listen to arguments to the contrary.
Grade: B
Give them another mulligan. Starting a pretty convincing 8-2 with an above average but not great DJ shows us that Ballard has built a really good team that can’t just catch a break at QB, and Steichen can create a game plan that maximizes the talent they have on the roster. Firing either one would be an unnecessary reset when it looks like all the years of building might actually pay off.
I see absolutely no good reason to blow it up now. Jones was legitimately in the fringe MVP conversation until the leg sapped the mobility that's so essential to his game. Have to give GM and coaching credit for seeing what nobody else did, certainly not me. Lost their all-pro DT to injury around the same time, and their best corners have been decimated by same.
And STILL, without one of the Worst. Calls. Period. In the Houston game, they likely come away with a win there, and a bailout call helped KC, too.
Feels like we're in a place where a piece or two puts you right back in the heart of the contender conversation next year, and likely with a QB who fits your system and ends up signing a more team-friendly deal than he otherwise would have. And outside of the Richardson pick, I've generally respected Ballard's draft acumen. Sure, none of the pass rushers have become stars, but they're all solid contributors.
Call me crazy, but the Colts have made me believe again. Run it back. Why not us?