Source: Justin Casterline / Getty
If you’re reading this, I appreciate it. I know it can’t be easy to discuss “top performers” after THAT performance inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.
What a complete mess. What a complete debacle.
Seemingly the season will be marred by the Flacco/Richardson saga. It’s nearing certainty they won’t be good enough to make the playoffs and on top of it, wasted more than half a season in gathering data on AR. Combine this with an overrating of the rest of your roster and that’s how you end up losing 3 straight in the most critical point of the season.
Alas, below you’ll see 5 players who stood out in some way on Sunday afternoon…
1. Greg Rousseau
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Hey now, stay with me now. I’m picking Rousseau for one reason only…he made one of the defining plays of the game. It was mid 3rd quarter, and the Colts were driving. We’re talking a 2nd and 10 at Buffalo’s 38 yard-line when Rousseau strips the ball from Joe Flacco. And just like that another good scoring opportunity was off the board.
Combine this play with the very next possession where a Kenny Moore pick of Josh Allen was squandered for 0 points, and you have the makings of an offensive disaster.Â
2. Jonathan Taylor
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When given the opportunity (and room) Taylor was good on Sunday. He went for 114 yards on 21 carries. That’s good 5.4 yards per rush. And most of the damage was in the first half, including runs of 31 and 33 yards in the first quarter.Â
As a big picture thought, it really is too bad the Colts’ offense isn’t more consistent and that the QB play isn’t better because JT could be having a big year. At times it feels like he’s having to work a lot to accomplish a little.Â
3. Adonai Mitchell
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Finally.
If there’s one positive takeaway from today’s game, it’s the play of rookie WR Adonai Mitchell. AD caught 6 balls for 71 yards. And if you’re scoffing at those numbers let’s remember this is a guy who played just FIVE snaps last week against Minnesota and had just 12 catches going into today’s contest. Today was a big deal for the rookie.
Plus, at this point of the season, we’re going to talk a lot about playing AR, but it’s time to apply those same rules to Mitchell. The kid needs to play.
4. Josh Allen
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Truthfully, I didn’t think Josh Allen was that great, but he does have a knack for making those couple magical plays that breaks a game open. And that’s what he did Sunday. Three chunk plays by Buffalo helped set up scores and Allen used his feet to do the rest. In the end he ended up throwing for 280 yards but with 2 INT. He also ran 8 times for 50 yards and a TD.
I’ll also give Allen some credit playing without starting WR’s Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman.
5. Kenny Moore
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I thought the CBS crew did a good job highlighting the play and importance of Moore. Plus, Kenny was all over the place collecting 7 tackles (2 TFL), 2 pass deflections, and an INT. His pick in the 3rd quarter gave the Colts a first down near midfield. Predictably, the Colts squandered the opportunity gaining 10 yards in 7 plays.
