Indianapolis Colts vs Tennessee Titans: Beyond the Box Score

Sep 28, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne (87) catches a pass with Tennessee Titans cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson (25) defending during the third quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts defeated the Titans 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

For the second time in as many weeks, the Indianapolis Colts (2-2) have posted 40+ points on an AFC South opponent and have, once again, looked absolutely dominant against the Tennessee Titans (1-3).

Andrew Luck’s offense was dominant in the game and the receivers were stellar. Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton combined for 13 catches and 224 yards out of Lucks 393 total yards on offense. Both tight ends recorded a touchdown, the two running backs each got a score on a great rushing day and the offensive line was able to contain Tennessee’s typically explosive defensive front seven. On defense, the Colts were able to bottle up Shonn Greene and Bishop Sankey while Mike Adams came up big with two interceptions in the passing defense.

Several positive things came out Sunday’s game against the Titans:

Andrew Luck’s dominance continues:

This guy is one heck of a football player and that was fully on display against the Titans. Luck put up great numbers and, despite two bad throws, looked crisp on all of his throws. It’s telling that Luck doesn’t have nearly as many rushing yards as last year; that can be credited to a majorly improved offensive line and smarter passing attack by Luck. His NFL-leading 13 touchdowns puts Luck on pace to finish with 52 touchdowns on the year. Other than a few bad decisions, Luck is quickly cementing his status as one of the elite quarterbacks. If he keeps up this style of play, he’ll be there by the end of the season.

Running back timeshare working:

Trent Richardson’s box score stats were incredibly misleading; Richardson went for 47 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. The 2.7 YPC can certainly be improved, but he was still a really good back for the Colts against the Titans. The run-blocking has been sub-par and doesn’t work to Richardson’s strengths, but he continues to make gigantic strides in the passing game (4 catches, 52 yards). Ahmad Bradshaw, on the other hand, has just been a great back for the Colts. His red-zone presence in the passing game has given the Colts a huge injection of life with four touchdown passes. On the ground, Bradshaw hasn’t gotten a huge opportunity to get things done, but he’s been really good in tandem with Richardson.

Great run-stop:

Don’t look now, but this Colts team is defending against the run and they’re doing it through injuries. Art Jones is out with an ankle sprain while Jerrell Freeman still hasn’t played this season due to his shoulder. Nonetheless, the defense has held the run quite well this season with the 11th stingiest run defense and that continued against Shonn Greene and Bishop Sankey. The interior lineman are doing their job while Cory Redding did his job against the Titans good offensive line.

Defending against opposing wideouts:

When the starting defense is in the game, the Colts are darn good at defending against opposing wide receivers. Leading Titan’s receiver Kendall Wright only amassed 55 yards while Nate Washington and Justin Hunter were each held to one catch a piece. While the opposing tight end is a different issue entirely, the Colts have been really good at keeping the wide receivers out of the football game. It was Demaryius Thomas in Week 1 followed by Jeremy Maclin and Cecil Shorts; every opposing wideout that the Colts have faced was held under 100 yards and never was able to make big plays in the passing game. Cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Greg Toler are the two corners that make this possible, with both corners near the top of the league in regards to opposing QBRs. These guys are doing well and should only continue to get better as the season goes on.