Colts’ report card: Grading Indy in the Week 3 loss
The Indianapolis Colts (0-3) have started the season about as worse as it gets and will be looking to turn the ship around following their 25-16 loss at the hands of the Tennessee Titans (2-1).
While Pro Football Focus handed out their grades for the Week 3 loss, we are going position-by-position to reevaluate the game for the Colts after reviewing the tape a little closer.
Here’s how the Colts graded out from their Week 3 loss:
Quarterback
AP Photo/Wade Payne
Just by looking at the stat line, Carson Wentz might get a failing grade, but we are going to use some context. Given that he was severely hobbled by the ankle injuries, it was clear he wouldn't be able to make plays outside of the pocket. That, combined with poor pass protection yet again, was a lethal development for the offense. Wentz gets points for toughing it out even if his play didn't elevate the offense. Grade: C
Running Back
Jenna Watson/IndyStar
It was a two-man backfield for the Colts on Sunday as Marlon Mack was inactive and Jordan Wilkins saw only special teams work. Despite their low usage, the duo of Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines fared well. Taylor took 10 carries for 64 rushing yards while catching his only target for eight yards. Hines took six carries for 25 rushing yards and a touchdown while adding six receptions for 54 yards in the passing game. Taylor gets some points deducted for suspect pass protection on blitz pick-ups. Grade: B+
Wide Receiver
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For the second week in a row, Michael Pittman Jr. proved he's the leader in this room. He had 12 targets again and even though he managed to only turn that into six catches for 68 yards, he made some big plays. Zach Pascal had a drop near the goal line and finished with just two catches on seven targets. Parris Campbell saw a season-high 80% snap share but turned that into just two receptions also. Grade: C+
Tight End
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This room wasn't much of a factor in this game, which is a bit surprising. Jack Doyle caught one of two targets for 10 yards with the other being a drop on the first play. Mo Alie-Cox fared the same with two receptions on two targets for 14 yards. Both did well in the run game helping on combo blocks. The group just didn't have an impact on the game. Grade: C+
Offensive Line
AP Photo/John Amis
Oof. The struggles continue for what was supposed to be the strongest unit on offense. Braden Smith was out again, which saw a 72-28 split between Julién Davenport and Matt Pryor. It didn't matter, they were both bad. Eric Fisher was a revolving door for edge rushers while Ryan Kelly continues to struggle with allowing pressure up the middle. According to Pro Football Focus, here's how the pressures were credited on Sunday;
Eric Fisher: 7 pressures (2 sacks, 4 QB hits)
Mark Glowinski: 6 pressures (1 sack, 1 QB hit)
Julién Davenport: 3 pressures (1 QB hit)
Chris Reed: 3 pressures (1 QB hit)
Ryan Kelly: 3 pressures (1 QB hit)
Like I said. Oof. Grade: F
Defensive Line
George Walker IV/The Tennessean
This unit was a mixed bag. Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad was a menace against the run all day and proved to be the only stopping force against Derrick Henry early in the game. DeForest Buckner added four pressures and a quarterback hit while Tyquan Lewis was also credited with four pressures from Pro Football Focus. The rest of the room didn't do enough impacting the quarterback, though, and that's part of the reason the defense struggled. Grade: D
Linebacker
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We finally got to see why Bobby Okereke was favored as the MIKE on Sunday. He looked to have much more juice flying to the ball and making impact plays, including a beautiful coffee house blitz on third down of the first series. Darius Leonard had an up and down game. He grabbed an interception that helped set up a touchdown but also was the man responsible for the Jeremy McNichols touchdown, leaving the flat wide open and failing to recover in time to prevent the score on third down. Grade: C+
Cornerback
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Xavier Rhodes made his debut for the season but struggled to make a positive impact. He was targeted three times, allowing three receptions for 51 yards. That includes a crucial fourth-down attempt in which he got lost in traffic covering Julio Jones on a crosser. Kenny Moore had a decent day in coverage and against the run but was beaten by Chester Rogers for a touchdown. Rock Ya-Sin had his best game of the young season. Grade: C+
Safety
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Julian Blackmon was all over the place making plays. He led the team with 11 tackles, all of which were solo. He was also credited with just one target on the day. Khari Willis had a run stop and was targeted just once in the passing game as well but wound up leaving due to a groin injury. Andrew Sendejo replaced him and looked decent in a limited role. Grade: B+
Special Teams
Jenna Watson/IndyStar
Rodrigo Blankenship had four field-goal attempts, converting three of them. His miss came from 50+ yards so I guess we have to keep an eye on that again. Rigoberto Sanchez had four punts but downed just one inside the 20-yard-line. The return team didn't do much to give the offense an advantage. Grade: B-
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