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    • 10 thoughts on Richardson sitting, Pittman, defense
    Duluth

    10 thoughts on Richardson sitting, Pittman, defense

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ten thoughts on the Colts’ 20-17 win over the Titans:

    1. Anthony Richardson suffered a last-minute injury as the Colts wanted to give him an extra week to heal from his hip and oblique injuries sustained against the Steelers. That meant turning again to Joe Flacco, who looked like a backup quarterback – one who can give the Colts a chance to win, but who won’t bring about the win.

    There’s no controversy here, just extreme caution with a player the Colts still hope can be the face of the franchise. The decision actually changed the tenor of a game that would progress slowly in Nashville between two teams trying to stay out of the basement of the AFC South.

    The Colts won this battle by making just a few more plays in the passing game. But there was a lot to talk about, from the heroic efforts of Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. to the defense’s lack of playmaking to a stalled running game and the injury situations that are becoming a major storyline this season.

    Josh Downs delivers another great game

    2. The touchdown on downs on the opening drive was a perfect use of skill at the right moment.

    The Colts had just converted a third down with a chunk play against Mo Alie-Cox that injured Quandre Diggs, who was a single-high safety on the previous down. With the three-time Pro Bowler out of the game and an injury delay, Shane Steichen chose a fade route from the slot, allowing Downs to rollerblade a linebacker without a free safety being able to react in that time.

    It was the start of a third straight great game for Downs, even though he was dealing with a toe injury this week. He delivered seven catches for 66 yards and a touchdown, and I’m not sure the Colts would have had a place to finish on third downs if he hadn’t been on the money.

    3. This was the third straight game in which the Colts scored a touchdown on their first possession, marking their best streak since the 2020 season.

    They get to use the script a lot better than the rest of the game because when that transition from plays to players happens naturally, it puts the spotlight on some roster holes that Steichen has a hard time overcoming, namely at tight end and backup running back . With Jonathan Taylor out and Pittman also limited by his back injury, playmakers are simply in short supply at the moment to play outside of the schedule.

    On third down near the goal line, the Colts spread out the defense and provided spot coverage, which is what they wanted on those downs with Richardson. But Flacco isn’t a scramble threat, so he ran a slant route to downs from the slot, but the defensive back knew exactly where the ball was going at the snap and ran the slant route for him.

    Getting Richardson and Taylor back will be huge just to get some options.

    How Colts receiver Michael Pittman went from out to star

    4. Pittman has been dealing with a back injury to some degree since Week 3, but it’s the type of injury that he says flares up from time to time. It flared up again last Sunday and Pittman needed an MRI after the game.

    The Colts saw something so serious that they expected him to miss some time, but then he was ready and able to practice on Friday. He was named a captain this season, largely due to his ability to be available and perform at a high level through nicks and cracks, and trying to make it to a divisional matchup where a loss would drop the Colts to 2-4 would fall behind became a priority.

    5. It’s difficult because, like Taylor’s ankle, Pittman needs a certain amount of flexibility in his back to play his style of football, which involves making difficult catches in traffic and running through the middle of the defense for yards after the catcher.

    But he has the natural ability, adrenaline and willpower to occasionally make plays when the Colts need it, such as the 10-yard jump-ball touchdown catch over L’Jarius Sneed and the 16-yarder -Catch against Sneed in man coverage on the final possession to seal the win.

    An incredibly brave performance for a player who was supposed to miss a few games.

    6. The Colts had a chance to sign Diggs or trade for Sneed this offseason before settling on a running back.

    Sneed was never an option for them, which made sense considering the price between salary and stock and the fact that to maximize it he had to slip into the nickels at times, and that’s what they wanted to pay Kenny Moore II too do.

    But Diggs is a cerebral veteran with ball skills that this secondary could have used to improve the room whether injuries occurred or not. The Colts could have used a playmaker when Will Levis flung a pass out of danger into the red zone, but Julian Blackmon was unable to turn away the interception at the goal line.

    The Colts defense is just good enough

    7. The weaknesses of this defense were once again exposed, and in the crucial moments there was just an upswing.

    The run defense falters in difficult moments, such as on 3rd-and-19 in the red zone, and is so controllable for opposing offensive coordinators that they are able to script quarterbacks like Levis and Malik Willis to stay out of the danger zone. However, they prevailed on a 3rd-and-1 run by Tony Pollard that gave them a chance to come back.

    The injuries on the defensive line have weakened one area of ​​the unit’s upside and playmaking. The Colts have now gone nine straight quarters without a sack, although Dayo Odeyingbo’s pressure in the face of Levis led to a forced throw into a covered fade that allowed Blackmon to intercept the ball.

    8. Gus Bradley tried to blitz more in this game. He sent Zaire Franklin on run and pass downs a few times, but twice Levis managed to buy time and find the open receiver for a first down.

    When it comes to blitzing, EJ Speed, Kenny Moore II and Nick Cross all have better skills than Franklin. The problem is that taking Cross or Moore out of coverage poses a huge risk to this secondary, but that’s forgivable if the rusher gets home. This rusher has to have the juice.

    Why don’t the Colts have a strong backup running back?

    9. Taylor missed his 11th game in the last three seasons due to injury. It’s life for most running backs, and the Colts paid attention to that when they decided to sign him to an extension early last season.

    This makes it all the more puzzling that after Zack Moss took on such an important role as a backup last season, turning in 794 yards to serve as the Bengals’ starter, the Colts couldn’t find a better replacement than the third and fourth players they had had back then.

    They felt like the goal-to-go scenario was late in the third quarter when they ran inside the zone on three plays in a row and didn’t see the light of day with either Goodson or Sermon settling in with a 22-yard Field goal made do while they trailed by a touchdown.

    10. Now that the Colts are in this spot, they need to start Goodson over Sermon, especially if Richardson can’t play.

    As the Colts tried to use Sermon to gain an outside zone, he was chased from behind by Harold Landry. A speedy defensive end on the backside can ignore the quarterback when there is no run threat and catch Sermon from behind. In this case, it doesn’t matter what the offensive line does.

    Goodson showed his speed on a 33-yard run in the second quarter where he looked like he was shot out of a cannon. That’s his advantage as a former wide receiver. Sermon needs to be more of a diversion against a tired defense or allow the player to convert at close range.

    See you next week at Lucas Oil Stadium, where we’ll hopefully see some starters again against the Dolphins.

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    Eira Gwyneth
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