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INDIANAPOLIS – Here’s our latest ‘hits and misses’ piece on 1075TheFan.com highlighting the good and bad from the previous game.
For the second straight week, the Colts grinded out a win over a backup quarterback, coming back to beat the Dolphins 16-10.
What was the good and bad from the Colts (4-3) getting an important AFC victory?
1. Hits: Grant Stuard, Segun Olubi
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Grant Stuard, Segun Olubi: Who had these two as players of the game entering Week 7? Injuries at linebacker forced major expanded roles for special teamers in Grant Stuard and Segun Olubi. Both delivered with monumental second-half plays that the Colts desperately needed. Chris Ballard knows linebackers and these two are another story of that. How about Stuard going from 0 defensive snaps on the season to 64 on Sunday (plus 23 special teams snaps), and recording the most tackles (18) the franchise has had since 2018. Without Stuard and Olubi, the Colts are a 3-4 football team, which is quite a statement to make.
2. Hits: Little Things
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Little Things: Sunday is not a game that will have many offensive highlights showing up on an end of a season reel. But it’s a game the Colts won because they checked a lot of things off: the more disciplined team in the penalty department, the better kicking team and stealing a critical timeout that mattered a whole late. Sunday’s effort isn’t going to beat the NFL’s upper echelon, but it was good enough to surviving, and that still counts as a very important AFC win.
3. Hits: Finishing
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Finishing: For the second straight 4th quarter, the Colts didn’t allow a point, which helped seal the comeback victory. Specifically, credit to Gus Bradley for not letting the likes of Tyreek Hill/Jaylen Waddle win the game (2 combined catches for 19 yards). Again, the opposing level of quarterback aids in this area, but it was not a given in 2023 that the Colts beat these types of QBs. If the Titans or Dolphins muster one fourth-quarter drive, the Colts conversation is totally different than it is now as a team who has won 4 of 5 games and is above .500.
4. Misses: Passing Game
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Passing Game: Inaccuracy from the quarterback, guys not creating enough separation, struggles in accounting for free Dolphins rushers, add it all up and the Colts had another ugly day throwing it on Sunday. Anthony Richardson’s 10-of-24 afternoon marks the worst completion percentage for a Colts QB in 28 years. This passing offense, with a must accuracy/anticipation improvement from Richardson, has to be better.
5. Misses: Run Defense
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Run Defense: The Colts run defense had more issues on Sunday, allowing 188 rushing yards on 40 carries. Without those big plays by Olubi and Stuard, this storyline would be talked about it even more. The return of DeForest Buckner is really needed for this unit to get back to the run defense we are used. Because we’ve hardly seen that here in 2024.
