A quick dash of good news for a week hardly in need of it, after a game with a lot of it.
First, Chris Milton. The 24-year-old rookie was a special teams stud Sunday, blowing up the opening kickoff and downing a punt at the five yard line before the end of the quarter. Milton quietly helped solve a serious special teams problem: keeping Pat McAfee’s beautiful, goal-line-skirting punts from becoming touchbacks.
A lot will be said about Dwayne Allen and T.Y. Hilton’s impressive receiving days. But that sort of thing happens a lot with Andrew Luck’s offense; what doesn’t is downfield blocking by those receivers. There were signs of life Monday, with Donte Moncrief adding another five yards to a Hilton grab in the first quarter. Plays like those help teams win games they aren’t supposed to.
Side note: Moncrief quietly had himself another good game Monday, and now has a touchdown in five straight games.
Finally, Trent Cole and Edwin Jackson might be enough to lock down Indy’s linebacking core. It’s been the Achilles heel for the defense all year and Jackson still needs work in coverage, but both players made excellent plays Monday. Waiving Sio Moore after Jacksonville seemed like a mistake, only because Indianapolis lacked depth at linebacker. They still do – but Cole and Jackson are no longer liabilities.
Top Five Players vs. N.Y. Jets (in GNT’s humble opinion)
1. Chris Milton (exemplary special teams play). The rookie also made a great hit on Indy’s first second-half kickoff. For someone playing in only their second game as a pro it was a great effort.
2. Trent Cole (two tackles, pass defended). Everything looked great for the Colts in the first quarter, but the second started with four straight first downs for New York. Cole single-handedly ended the skid, stuffing Jets RB Matt Forte at Indy’s 8 and again on third down. New York kicked a field goal to end the drive and failed to score for another two quarters, but would have only been down by 7 had they punched in the score; props to Cole for the game-changing series of the day.
3. Dwayne Allen (three TDs). For a guy with do much promise early in his career, Allen’s story hit a rut with a rash of injuries in 2015 and he’s had trouble catching the ball this year (see: Pittsburgh). Nice to see the big guy step up and come through for the Colts with
4. Edwin Jackson (7 tackles). The Colts held New York to three straight three-and-outs to start the game, but none so demoralizing as the last — when Jackson went totally unblocked and drilled Forte for a three-yard loss. As long as the Jackson 2 and Cole stay healthy from here out it should be enough to cover the weakest part of Indy’s team.
5. T.Y. Hilton (9 catches, 146 yards). The most impressive stat from yesterday was Hilton’s eight first down catches on ten targets. He would have had a ninth, but dropped an easy pass late in the third quarter — the only incompletion Luck threw to him all day. Also impressive: in games the Colts have won this year, Hilton averages 6.5 catches and 134 yards. As long as he and Luck click down the stretch Indianapolis will be difficult as hell to beat.
Re: Andrew Luck
There isn’t anything I’ll say that hasn’t been said. But Luck’s best season (clearly) before this year was 2014, when the Colts beat Jacksonville (twice), Tennessee, Cincinnati, and Washington by 20+ points. The year before, they beat three teams by 20+ points: Jacksonville (again, twice), San Francisco, and Houston.
Last year Luck played in two wins, winning by a combined five points. It’s becomes a bit of a myth that the Colts have never blown teams out under Chuck Pagano but that isn’t true; they just haven’t blown teams out recently. Monday’s shellacking of the Jets was the biggest in a long time, but might not be an anomaly going forward.
Next Week: vs. Houston
Indy should win this going away, right? Houston is on a three-game losing streak, is 1-4 on the road this year (their win is against Jacksonville), and have a -50 point differential. Their win against the Colts, at home earlier this year, came on a brutal fourth-quarter collapse by Indianapolis in a game the Colts mostly dominated. Their six wins are by a combined 34 points. This is not a good team.
Thankfully the Colts won’t forget their first matchup. And if Monday’s tilt against the Jets is any indication, Indianapolis won’t let up against the Texans again. On one hand it’s terrifying to see your quarterback dive for a first down in a 21-point game. On the other, it’s refreshing to see every guy in a Colts uniform giving it their all.
Prediction: Colts 31, Texans 17
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