Insider: Kenny Moore II, defense lead Colts to 27-13 victory over Panthers

CHARLOTTE — The Colts defense bounced back in a big way Sunday.

Facing off against a troubled Carolina offense, Kenny Moore II and DeForest Buckner dominated the Panthers in a 27-13 win, snapping a three-game Indianapolis losing streak on the road in Bank of America Stadium.

Indianapolis (4-5) now heads on its biggest road trip of the season, flying overseas to face New England in Germany next week.

1. Kenny Moore II saves the day

Carolina had chances to get back in the game.

The Indianapolis offense sputtered after a hot start by Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss, leaving the door open for the Panthers to get back in the game if rookie quarterback Bryce Young could get into a rhythm.

Young faltered under the pressure instead, repeatedly waiting too long to get the ball out of his hand, struggling with accuracy in key moments.

Moore took advantage of the worst mistakes. Nearing the end of the first half, Carolina was driving with a chance to cut the second-half deficit to just one score, and Young floated a ball in the direction of Chuba Hubbard in the flat.

The Colts’ nickel was licking his chops. Young didn’t put enough velocity on the ball, and Moore slipped in front of Hubbard, picked off the pass and took off, weaving his way back to the middle for a 49-yard touchdown to hand Indianapolis a 20-3 lead that seemed insurmountable.

At least until Carolina started driving again, putting up a touchdown to start the second half, then hitting a 48-yard completion to Hayden Hurst on third-and-11, threatening to make a blowout into a game.

Then Young made another mistake, sailing a screen to Miles Sanders well out of the running back’s reach, right into the waiting arms of Moore II, who raced up the sideline and away for a 66-yard touchdown to put the game away.

Colts score: Kenny Moore leads Colts to skid-snapping win over the Panthers

2. DeForest Buckner sets the tone inside

Young hasn’t responded to pressure well as a rookie.

And he’s faced plenty of it. Carolina’s offensive line has struggled mightily, particularly on the interior, making the Panthers a choice target for Buckner, the Pro Bowl talent who has been a rock in the middle of the Indianapolis defense the past four years.

Buckner spends most weeks seeing double teams, slide protections and anything else offensive coordinators can scheme to stop a defensive tackle.

Carolina sent their fair share of double teams at Buckner on Sunday.

But the big guy did plenty of damage, especially early. Buckner recorded four tackles, a sack, two tackles-for-loss, two quarterback hits and two pass breakups against the Panthers, and the imprint he left on Young’s mind early paid dividends throughout the game.

Buckner blew up Carolina’s second drive by leveling Hubbard on second down for a 4-yard loss, then erased any chance the Panthers had of capitalizing on Isaiah McKenzie’s muffed punt by blowing through the Carolina line for a 10-yard sack on third down on the next series.

Young was sacked again to start the next series, this time by another interior player, Eric Johnson — who officially split the sack with Kwity Paye — and Buckner batted down Young’s 2nd-and-20 attempt, a short pass designed to get the Panthers into a manageable distance on third down.

From that point on, Young was afraid of the pressure coming through the middle of the line. The Carolina rookie looked jittery in the pocket, falling away as he threw short passes, struggling to make plays.

In large part because the specter of big No. 99 was always there.

3. Indianapolis offense struggles, but avoids back-breaking mistake

Outside of an early touchdown catch by Taylor, the Indianapolis offense sputtered all day long.

Indianapolis picked up just 197 yards of total offense, their fewest by far this season. The Colts hadn’t been held to fewer than 300 yards since picking up a season-low 280 in the season opener, but Indianapolis couldn’t get anything going, either on the ground or through the air.

Taylor rushed 18 times for just 47 yards, and Gardner Minshew compiled a season-low 127 yards on just 26 attempts. If the Colts defense hadn’t been so dominant, Indianapolis might have been in trouble.

Except that the Colts did not commit the back-breaking turnovers that plagued Carolina all night long.

Outside of McKenzie’s fumbled punt, the Colts did not turn the ball over, allowing Moore and the defense to put the game away.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts vs. Panthers: Kenny Moore, defense lead Colts to 27-13 victory