Five Observations: Indianapolis Colts Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
By Josh Caplan
The Indianapolis Colts traveled to Pittsburgh trying to extend their 5 game win streak against the Steelers. Instead, the Colts got blown out, losing the game 51-34. Although it was a blowout loss for this Colts team, they still managed to keep on fighting (on offense at least) until the very end.
Defense
The defense was beyond bad against the Steelers. Without the pick-six and safety, the defense still managed to surrender 42 points and allow Ben Roethlisberger to have one of the best quarterback performances ever. However, there is still hope for this Colts defense. You could make the excuse that the injuries to the Colts two best defenders, Vontae Davis and Cory Redding, and some other key contributors assisted in this defensive meltdown. This is the same team that had been playing lights out defensively for five weeks and just shut out the Bengals. How could that defense put up this performance though? The answer is that this Colts’ defense is mostly reliant on scheme and having Davis and Redding along with some other contributors carrying the defense. The problem was that most of this success has come from blitzing and when that doesn’t work, it leaves the secondary vulnerable. The good news is that this is about as bad as this defense could be every play and the Colts still managed to pull within eight points in the fourth quarter.
Feed Moncrief
Reggie Wayne was sidelined with an elbow injury in this game, which made room for Hakeem Nicks and Donte Moncrief to get more snaps than normal. However, Nicks was unable to take advantage of this situation but Moncrief did. Moncrief led the team in targets with 12, caught seven passes for 113 yards and added a really nice touchdown catch. Moncrief showed off his spectacular athletic ability in this game but what was most impressive was his rapport with Luck. This is an important quality for a WR and something that Nicks has struggled with since coming to the Colts; Moncrief has already shown it in his rookie season.
2013 Colts make a 2014 appearance
Last year, the Colts had some areas that were very clearly holding the team back. The Colts’ inability to protect Luck, create a pass rush and cover were holding back the Colts from becoming one of the AFC elite teams. Then this season, the offensive line seemed to be clicking and giving Luck enough time to rip apart the opposing team’s defense. The pass rush seemed to have come alive through scheming pressures and great teamwork among the pass rushers. The Colts’ secondary had been playing great and, for the most part (looking at you Greg Toler), blanketed the receivers they were covering. All these problems reared their ugly head during this Steelers game and it looked like the Colts of 2013. The good news is that this is only one out of eight games played when these issues have shown up and until we see them more frequently it is likely that this game was just an outlier.
Andrew Luck is special.
Andrew Luck is just such a special player and I don’t understand how any one can watch him play and not think that. On Sunday, Luck broke another one of Peyton Manning’s Colts records by throwing for over 300 yards in his sixth straight game. Luck completed 26-45 passes (57.8%) for 400 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Those are some pretty impressive numbers but what is truly amazing is that some people will try and use this game as a reason for Luck not being elite. I really do believe that this was one of Lucks finer performances in his career. Besides the numbers he put up, Luck was also able to withstand the constant beating he received from the Steelers and still stand back in the pocket throwing strikes. Most people will remember the pick-six and the other interception at the end of the game when Luck was just trying to score quickly (how can you blame him; down three scores in the fourth quarter) but outside of a few throws, Luck was incredible yet again.
Slow down
After last week many Colts fans, myself included, had started to think that the Colts had moved into the top tier of AFC teams. This is a spot reserved typically for a Peyton Manning/Tom Brady-led team but the Colts had been playing so well. What a difference a week makes. After this week’s performance, the Colts have proved that they aren’t ready to take that step into the top tier of teams. The good news, however, is that the Colts are still in a good position to finish with the No. 2 or 3 seed. Most likely the Colts vs Patriots game later this season will be a battle for the No. 2 seed and I believe the Colts have a good chance of winning that game.