Colts PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 1 loss to Jaguars
The Indianapolis Colts (0-1) failed to pull off the home upset against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) at Lucas Oil Stadium, extending their Week 1 winless streak to 10 consecutive seasons.
Despite the loss, it was a relatively encouraging outing from the Colts. They stayed competitive throughout the game and even hung tough amid several lead changes during the second half. The defense showed plenty of fight while rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson didn’t look overwhelmed at all in his debut.
Here are some of the highest and lowest PPF grades for the Colts from the Week 1 loss, as well as a few other notable grades thrown in:
Top 5 offense
LT Bernhard Raimann (71.5)
LG Quenton Nelson (70.9
C Ryan Kelly (70.6)
RT Braden Smith (70.4)
WR Michael Pittman Jr. (69.4)
The offensive line had a solid day in pass protection. It helped that Anthony Richardson got the ball out quickly, but it was an encouraging showing from the majority of the group. Meanwhile, Pittman Jr. continues to quietly prove he’s an underrated asset leading the passing attack.
Bottom 5 offense
RG Will Fries (55.4)
TE Mo Alie-Cox (53.3)
WR Alec Pierce (49.7)
QB Anthony Richardson (49.3)
RB Deon Jackson (28.4)
Fries was the weak link on the offensive line, but his performance wasn’t a disaster. He allowed three total pressures and needs to be more consistent in the run game, but we’ve certainly seen worse. Alie-Cox continues to be unimpressive in a starting role while Pierce did little to make a positive impact. We’ll disagree on Richardson’s poor grade, but it’s difficult to argue against Jackson as the lowest-graded player on offense.
Top 5 defense
LB E.J. Speed (94.8)
DT DeForest Buckner (92.5)
LB Zaire Franklin (92.2)
DT Grover Stewart (90.2)
DE Kwity Paye (74.1)
This just goes to show how much of a strength the front seven is and how much the Colts will rely on the unit throughout the season. Speed only played half of the snaps but still made an impact while the rest of the group all had strong outings to begin the campaign.
Bottom 5 defense
DE Samson Ebukam (54.6)
CB Dallis Flowers (53.6)
S Julian Blackmon (53.6)
CB Darrell Baker Jr. (44.9)
S Rodney Thomas II (43.9)
A grade in the 50s is just about average on the scale so the fact that the lowest-graded player is basically a 44 means the entire defense had a strong day. Flowers and Baker Jr. got beat a handful of times by Calvin Ridley Jr., but their coverage wasn’t as poor as one might think. Some of those throws from Trevor Lawrence were simply unguardable.
Top 5 special teams
S Nick Cross (77.3)
WR Juwann Winfree (68.6)
LB Grant Stuard (68.5)
CB Tony Brown (65.4)
LB E.J. Speed (63.9)
The second-year safety in Cross didn’t see any snaps on defense, but he did come away with a team-high two tackles on special teams. Meanwhile, Brown recorded an interception on his lone defensive snap and continued to be a strong asset on special teams.
Bottom 5 special teams
TE Andrew Ogletree (59.5)
TE Mo Alie-Cox (59.4)
RB Jake Funk (57.9)
TE Kylen Granson (56.7)
TE Trevor Denbow (50.2)
The fact that these are the lowest grades from the game suggests the special teams unit had a pretty strong outing. However, they allowed one long punt return to Jamal Agnew in the fourth quarter—a 48-yard return fielded inside the 10-yard line that set up a Jaguars touchdown.
Other notable grades
C Ryan Kelly (80.8 pass block)
LB Zaire Franklin (90.9 run defense)
LB Zaire Franklin (90.0 coverage)
LB E.J. Speed (93.5 coverage)
DT Grover Stewart (89.9 run defense)
DT DeForest Buckner (93.5 pass rush)
S Julian Blackmon (79.2 tackling)
CB Dallis Flowers (40.4 run defense)
DE Samson Ebukam (31.9 tackling)
RB Deon Jackson (6.0 pass block)
