Indianapolis Colts vs Philadelphia Eagles: Duds and Studs

Sep 15, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw (44) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

The Indianapolis Colts’ (0-2) Monday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) had plenty to cheer about and even more to complain about. The team had positive and negative players on both sides of the ball.

And without further ado, let’s look at this week’s duds and studs.

Studs:

Ahmad Bradshaw: Bradshaw had one killer game against the Eagles. He had a great day rushing the ball with 70 yards on 13 carries while he also scored twice on touchdown receptions. He was a beast in every facet of the game and looked as if he was still in his prime. One of Bradshaw’s biggest assets to this Colts team is his ability in the passing game. He brought in five catches on Monday with two of them going for scores. He also has the ability to pass block, making him a key guy to have in the game in every third down situation. He’s smart, can catch like a wide receiver and has quick legs in his cuts.

Trent Richardson: I never thought I’d see the day that Trent Richardson was in the stud column, but sure enough, Richardson did have a decent day. He amounted 79 rushing yards on 21 rushes on the night, even posting a 15-yard scamper through the middle. The offensive line actually did Trent some favors by opening spots for him and ensuring that he had a space to run. Richardson’s problem has and always will be finding space; when the offensive line paves the way for him, he can still find that acceleration and make the defense pay. He did, however, have a detrimental fumble which may have cost the Colts the game. All the same, he was a glimpse of great for Colts fans who were looking for something out of him.

Vontae Davis: Davis makes the stud column for the second time in a row after a good performance against the Eagles. Davis held stud wideout Jeremy Maclin to just four catches and 45 yards, a respectable number considering the high-powered Eagles offense that he went against. Covering against a Nick Foles offense is not an easy task at all, and Davis took it in stride just a week after handling Peyton Manning and the Broncos. He seems to be the only positive player on a defense that is not doing well.

Duds:

Andrew Luck: Let’s be honest; this week was not Andrew Luck’s best. This was partially due to a rough coaching scheme that didn’t favor Luck’s strengths, but Luck was not accurate all night. He finished 20/34, which isn’t terrible, but definitely not what Colts fans have gotten used to. There are times where Luck brings a gigantic boost to the offense, but sometimes, he’s the reason that it fails. The entire second half was negative for Luck. He couldn’t get anything going, and that’s after a tough first half where receivers weren’t getting open. Luck is growing each day, but he didn’t have a stellar performance against the Eagles.

Josh McNary: To give him a little bit of credit, McNary was attempting to blanket one of the slipperiest running back duos in the NFL right now with LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. However, he just didn’t have the speed to do that. Sproles crazy 152 passing yards was evidence of that, there was just no covering the running back. Couple that with Zach Ertz going off, and it was a rough coverage night for the replacement inside linebacker. Jerrell Freeman was missed greatly.

Coaching Staff: It’s no secret that the primary reason the Colts lost that game was the horrible job of the coaching staff. Pep Hamilton’s playcalling near the end of the game was a complete disaster. While the run game was successful, Hamilton tried to force it when it counted. Then, a disastrous decision to pass on third down (which was intercepted) completely backfired, causing the loss. The coaching staff isn’t always bad, but last night was a terrible game for Pagano and Hamilton’s offense.