The Indianapolis Colts finally got a respectable performance from their defense Sunday. Unfortunately, the offense completely fell apart against Minnesota's relentless pressure.
Minnesota walked away with a 16-10 win, dropping Indianapolis to 2-5, and Brian Flores' defense was the story.
Flores is a mad scientist, and watching his pressure packages connect is like watching a piece of art come together in real time. The Vikings blitzed on an NFL-record 85.2% of Colts dropbacks in the Next Gen Stats era, and a one-dimensional Indianapolis offense had absolutely no answer.
A Colts fan could only wish. Here are my position grades from Week 7.
Quarterback: D-
Daniel Jones finished 13-of-22 for 108 yards, zero touchdowns and one late interception, earning a 53.2 offensive grade and 46.5 passing grade from PFF.
Jones faced pressure 16 times and took four sacks. He completed 9-of-11 passes for 83 yards from a clean pocket, but his completion percentage dropped to just 36.4% when under pressure.
Whether Jones had nowhere to go with the ball or Minnesota's pressure simply got there too quickly, he looked like the old Giants version of Daniel Jones again.
Running Back: B+
Jonathan Taylor was basically the entire offense, rushing 18 times for 95 yards and a touchdown while gaining 64 yards after contact.
Seth McGowan also had a strong afternoon with 46 yards on 11 carries and provided a major spark in the return game.
Wide Receiver: D+
No Colts receiver finished with more than Keenan Allen's 31 yards, and the entire room combined for only 10 targets and 79 yards.
Jones did not always have time, but this group still made almost no impact. Indianapolis desperately needs some explosiveness back in this receiver room.
Tight End: D+
Drew Ogletree caught two passes, while the rest of the tight end room went without a catch on five targets.
This offense badly needs Tyler Warren back. The pass blocking was also rough, including a 30.4 PFF pass-blocking grade from Mo Alie-Cox.
Offensive Line: D
Bernhard Raimann and Quenton Nelson held up well in pass protection, but the rest of the line struggled against Minnesota's constant pressure.
Indianapolis allowed four sacks on 16 pressures, while Tanner Bortolini, Nelson and Matt Goncalves averaged just a 45.8 run-blocking grade.
Defensive Line: B-
For once, this defense gave Indianapolis enough to win.
Minnesota finished with 136 rushing yards but no rushing touchdowns, while the Colts' defensive line generated 11 pressures and two sacks. The defensive ends played particularly well, although DeForest Buckner had a quiet afternoon.
Linebacker: C-
Akeem Davis-Gaither showed real improvement in coverage with a 70.2 grade, but the rest of the linebacker room averaged just 43.9.
Run defense also left plenty to be desired outside of Jaylon Carlies, but limiting Minnesota's overall production was still a step in the right direction.
Cornerback: B-
Justin Walley had his breakout game with a 94.2 PFF coverage grade, while Kenneth Harris also played well.
Charvarius Ward struggled, but the group missed zero tackles and held Minnesota to only 150 passing yards and one touchdown without Sauce Gardner. This was a good showing for this group.
Safety: C-
Defending the run wasn't the issue for this unit. Pass coverage was a completely different story.
The unit averaged a 44.5 coverage grade and allowed a reception on every target, while Cam Bynum and A.J. Haulcy surrendered passer ratings of 118.8 and 152.1 when targeted.
Special Teams: D+
Spencer Shrader missed two field goals for the first time in his career, from 56 and 48 yards.
The expectations are high because Shrader has been so reliable, so those misses hurt in a six-point loss. I still have zero concern about him going forward.
For most of this season, the defense has been the problem in Indianapolis.
Sunday was the exact opposite, and until this offense becomes more than Jonathan Taylor and hope, performances like this are going to keep happening.
Recommended Articles
Add us as a preferred source on Google