Week 13: Indianapolis Colts Horseshoe Heroes

With the Indianapolis Colts’ 8th win of the season, it’s time to acknowledge the “Horseshoe Heroes” of Week 13 against the Washington Redskins. These are players that went above and beyond their positional requirements and delivered an exceptional performance in what was a convincing 49-27 Colts’ victory:

Nov 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is congratulated by a teammate after throwing a touchdown pass against the Washington Redskins at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Washington 49-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Luck: The Colts’ star young quarterback put on another strong offensive showing, as he was 19 for 27 (70.3%) for 370 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 interception. His two opening back-to-back turnovers to start the game hurt the team and kept him from being nearly perfect on the day, but they weren’t entirely his fault either.

While Luck will never publicly admit to it, Sunday’s victory over the Redskins with Robert Griffin III holding a clipboard on the sideline had to feel pretty good. The quarterback debate between the top 2 picks of the 2012 NFL Draft had already been decided long before Sunday’s game this season, but Luck’s superb performance may have placed the final nail in the coffin. Controversy over.

Dan “Boom” Herron: From being waived by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013 to now being perhaps the feature back of the Colts’ offense, Herron has had a wild ride to start his young NFL career. He’s clearly the more explosive of the two Colts’ runningbacks, as he had 8 carries for 88 rushing yards (11.0 ypc) and 1 touchdown, including a 49-yard long touchdown run. While the ball security issues have to get fixed, as he had his 2nd fumble in as many games, Herron runs a lot like how Ahmad Bradshaw did for the Colts. Namely, he runs with purpose and hits the hole hard with burst. Going forward, it should be more of Boom Herron in the backfield and less of Trent Richardson.

Nov 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief (10) catches a pass and runs it in a for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Washington 49-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Donte Moncrief: If Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers was Moncrief’s breakout party, then this week was one great encore. Moncrief had 3 receptions for 134 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. His biggest play of the day came on a 79-yard long bomb from Luck that he took in perfect stride to “the house”. He gives the offense another deep threat to pair with T.Y. Hilton. It’s time to take the training wheels off of Moncrief and fully unleash him from here on out, as he appears ready for a bigger role. Hakeem Nicks hasn’t necessarily hurt the Colts as their #3 wideout, but Moncrief gives the offense a much more explosive playmaker at this point in their respective careers.

Coby Fleener: I’m sure he’d like to have his inexplicable 2nd quarter would-be touchdown drop back, but Fleener redeemed himself quite nicely on the afternoon. He finished with 4 receptions for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a spirited 73-yard long reception that Fleener took to paydirt. In Dwayne Allen‘s absence, Fleener has really emerged in the offense, as he has eclipsed 125 receiving yards in 2 of his past 3 games. It’s never been an issue of physical ability, rather it’s whether Fleener can focus and consistently maintain that concentration on a weekly basis.

Nov 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson (52) picks up a fumble and runs it in a for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Washington 49-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

D’Qwell Jackson: Have to give the 9-year veteran inside linebacker his due, he was terrific on Sunday. Jackson was making plays all over the middle of the field, as he finished with 10 tackles (6 solo) and 1 sack. The biggest defensive play of the day came when with 7:30 left in the 3rd quarter, Jackson scooped up a fumble from an Erik Walden strip-sack on 4th and short and took the ball the other way 35 yards for a touchdown, sealing the Colts’ victory.

Even the advanced statistics provided by ProFootballFocus graded out Jackson favorably, as he had a +1.9 overall rating, including a +2.1 in pass coverage. It’s worth noting that his pass coverage grade on Sunday was Jackson’s best of the season, as it’s been an area he has largely struggled in all year up to this point.

Jonathan Newsome: Moncrief may have stolen most of the “rookie thunder”, but Newsome had a pretty impressive showing himself. The rookie 5th round pick from Ball State had 1.5 sacks, 2 QB hits, and 1 hurry in 30 of the defense’s 82 snaps (36.6%). While recently added Shaun Phillips could ultimately end up factoring into the equation, Newsome appears to be the team’s best natural pass rusher right now.

Nov 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) hands the ball off to running back Trent Richardson (34) during a game against the Washington Redskins at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Washington 49-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Trent Richardson: The excuses are starting to run out for Richardson. It’s no longer the playbook, the unfamiliarity with the offense, or the Colts’ offensive line, as those issues are either no longer applicable or have been proven irrelevant. Richardson simply has to start producing. If Boom Herron can run for 88 yards on 8 carries (11.0 ypc), how can Richardson only muster 12 yards on 8 carries (1.5 ypc)?

The latter has simply lacked explosion and burst and oftentimes looks like he’s running in cement blocks. The Colts’ offensive line isn’t great at run blocking by any means, but as Herron and Bradshaw have shown, there’s at least enough holes to get some good runs in every now and then during the course of a game.

Coby Fleener: Fleener’s “Mr. Hyde” reared his ugly head once again, as Fleener dropped an easy “gimme” of a 2nd quarter touchdown. While it didn’t affect the Colts in this game’s outcome and Fleener ultimately redeemed himself with an overall strong receiving performance, it’s a drop that may cost the Colts someday against a superior opponent. Oftentimes, a play like that can be the difference between winning and losing against quality competition.

Nov 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) fumbles the ball after getting tackled by Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (91) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

1st Quarter Turnovers: For the 2nd straight week, the Colts turned the ball over multiple times in the 1st quarter. The previous weekend, it was 2 fumbles lost by QB Andrew Luck early in the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This week, the Colts’ offense suffered from a strip-sack fumble of Andrew Luck and then a deflected-interception on their first two opening possessions respectively. Against superior competition, the Colts can’t afford to dig themselves into a big hole early on because they won’t always be as fortunate in crawling out of it.

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Week 13: Horseshoe Heroes

By Luke Schultheis | Dec 1, 2014