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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.
It was a rollercoaster in Week Two, as the Colts came back to beat the Broncos with a final buzzer field goal.
What was the good and bad from the Colts (2-0) winning a wild one over the Broncos?
1. Hits: Daniel Jones
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Daniel Jones: Against that Denver defense, Daniel Jones was not supposed to have yet another banner day. But, for the second straight week, Jones was outstanding in leading the Colts offense. He continues to be consistently on-target, while largely avoiding turnover-worthy plays, yet also taking some necessary shots down the field. The most impressive aspect to Jones from Sunday was him delivering from pockets that were not as clean as he worked in during the opener. On the game’s opening drive, Jones hung in there to hit on a couple of different throws to help set up yet another Colts scoring drive. This is another key in projecting Jones moving forward.
2. Hits: Jonathan Taylor Workload
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Jonathan Taylor Workload: The Colts aren’t messing around with Jonathan Taylor early in the season. Taylor played 66 of 70 offensive snaps, That 94 percent usage is one of the highest of Taylor’s career. No NFL running back has more carries than Taylor through 2 weeks and that’s with him missing the final quarter of the season opener. And the star running back delivered with 25 carries for 165 yards, and a 43-yard touchdown catch and run. Taylor’s 68-yard run was quite the highlight reel as he dodged a tackle in the backfield before ripping off a big one.
3. Hits: Tyler Warren Post Catch
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Tyler Warren Post Catch: Speaking of usage, the Colts also used Tyler Warren for 66 offensive snaps, the most for an Indy tight since Jack Doyle in 2019 (only one NFL tight end played that many snaps in any game last season). Warren caught 4 balls for 79 yards, with 55 of those yards coming after the catch. That dynamic to Warren’s game is part of what makes him truly unique. At times, Denver used NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II in man coverage on Warren. That’s quite high praise for Warren 2 games into his NFL career.
4. Hits: Spencer Shrader
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Spencer Shrader: It is a 9-of-9 start to the full-time kicking duties of Shrader. And Shrader had to show some quick resolve on Sunday after missing short and right from 60 yards, to then knock one down the middle for the game-winner from 45 yards. While we still await Shrader kicking from north of 50 yards, he’s been rock solid as the Colts have had to settle for a lot of short field goals in the first two weeks of the season.
5. Misses: Defensive Front Playmaking
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Defensive Front Playmaking: It is pretty rare to go through an NFL game and not record a sack or a quarterback hit, especially when a player drops back more than 30 times. But that was the case with Bo Nix on Sunday. Questions about the Colts pass rush, sans Laiatu Latu, were definitely there on Sunday. Plus, the lack of linebacker playmaking, with another week of the Colts allowing a consistent rushing attack. The Colts currently rank 28th in yards per carry allowed at 5.44.
6. Misses: Penalties
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Penalties: There hasn’t been many times in the Shane Steichen where penalties have been an issue. But the Colts had to overcome them on Sunday (while Denver also had their own issues). The Colts had 11 penalties on Sunday, which ties the most for the team since the 2019 season. You obviously had Xavien Howard looking quite old there with 3 penalties in 5 plays. But you also had 2 penalties on kickoffs (an illegal formation and a kick zone infraction). And then Shane Steichen got whistled for an unsportsmanlike penalty. Again, it’s uncharacteristic to have this in the “misses” category.
7. Misses: Red Zone
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Red Zone: Through two weeks, the Colts are 5-of-12 in their red zone chances. Getting 12 red-zone opportunities in two games is amazing. Converting just 5 of them though has been an issue. The Colts have struggled to run the ball in the red zone, with a few penalties also contributing to them getting behind the chains. Again, the Colts have done a great job moving the football but finishing drives certainly needs work.
