Colts lose yet another game 16-25 to the Titans.
Overview:
You could look at this game and see the score and say the Colts got destroyed. You would be correct. It was an ugly game to watch. Carson Wentz didn’t look like himself. I understood the commentary team mentioned Wentz woke up every day this week crying in pain, and he was hoping that today he’d be able to sleep well. The passing game wasn’t there today.
You have to win division games. If you want to be a contender in this league, you must win these games. And the Colts showed who they are today. This team is not good. Inconsistent to a nonexistent pass rush to inconsistent offensive line play doesn’t add up to winning games. We’ve seen Ballard build this team from the inside out. Starting with bolstering both the offensive and defensive line. And now those look like legit weak points of this team. With that being said, let’s get into the game.
The Wentz Ankle Saga
Wentz didn’t look like himself at all. The big thing I was worried about Wentz was that he likes to force plays. From what I see he doesn’t throw to the open guy. He tries to make a play happen where a play isn’t there to be made. It’s truly frustrating to watch because if he would just look for the open guy and deliver the rock the offense would do much better. Wentz and Reich need to look themselves in the mirror and figure this situation out. I will also mention part of why I think Wentz struggled today was the obvious ankle injuries. It was clear from the first snap Wentz didn’t look the most comfortable. Throughout the game, it became more noticeable the ankles were bothering Wentz. He played almost scared. He wasn’t taking easy yards on the run instead he forced the ball into triple coverage.
Wr’s are Broken.
I’d like to blame Wentz for a lot of the struggles this team is having but that just isn’t the case. This receiving corp is just not good. To put it nicely. They don’t get separation and even if they did I couldn’t logically say Wentz would throw it to the open guy. The Colts are struggling at WR and something needs to happen. Pittman and Pascal have looked serviceable, but they need a third guy. They’re lacking a true number 1. It’s showing in how they play. It is. I’m not saying TY is the answer but something needs to happen.
What’s wrong with Frank Reich?
The play calling is just no Bueno. I said in the pregame article that one of the keys was run the damn ball. Taylor looked great. Hines was getting involved. It was perfect because the offense was rolling. This Colts team has NO BUSINESS throwing the ball 37 times. Especially when Carson has two injured ankles. 18 run plays. 10 for Taylor, 6 for Hines. I’m just not understanding why the number is so low. Taylor averaged 6.4 yards a carry. Hines averaged 4.2. With numbers like that you’re supposed to run the ball. Outside of MPJ and Hines, no one had over 3 receptions. What’s the point of throwing the ball when it isn’t working? It’s not like the clock management
Injuries:
Injuries we’re a big factor for sure. Losing a guy like Big Q is devastating, but I think the offensive line was serviceable without him for this game. The rookie Kwity Paye was ruled out early with a hamstring. We hope the best for him we’re hoping this isn’t long-term. It’ll also be interesting to watch Carson Wentz this week in practice to see how the ankle is.
The Blue Stable Player of the Week: Julian Blackmon
Blackmon led the team in total tackles with 11. I could say Bobby Okereke here but I think Blackmon had more of an impact in somewhat containing Henry. He was all over the field which is a positive thing to see from the young safety. This secondary has started pretty slow, but if Blackmon can use this momentum to carry over into the following weeks it would be big for the Defense and the team as a whole.
A look ahead:
Familiar faces in new places. The Colts will play the Dolphins this week. No Tua means we’re going to see our former Walter Payton Man of the Year Candidate for the Colts Jacoby Brissett. The Colts have a lot to work on to win this game. The season is still has a lot of football left to be played.
