Colts Week 5 Power Ranking Roundup
By Evan Reller
It wasn’t that long ago when the Indianapolis Colts season looked dead to rights. It was around the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans, Andrew Luck had thrown his second interception of the period and the offense was a complete mess. The Colts rallied to win that game, and then stole the next two against other AFC South opponents while Luck nursed a sore shoulder and Matt Hasselbeck took over.
Those wins haven’t gone unnoticed in the media, but it hasn’t done a whole lot to improve the Colts standing in the power rankings.
We roundup some of the best power rankings in the country:
NFL.com, Elliot Harrison: 14th
"It’s impossible not to pull for Matt Hasselbeck. He runs around with the energy and enthusiasm of a 25-year-old, while treating every drive with a sense of urgency. Not talked about enough from his performance Thursday night:The absolutely gorgeous throw to T.Y. Hilton to seal the game. That’s not an easy toss in that situation. It was a third down, where many teams would run to burn clock. That tells you the confidence this team has in its backup. #respect"
Nothing to argue with here as the Colts sit just ahead of teams with sub .500 records. There really hasn’t been enough said about that third down throw to seal the game by Hasselbeck. It was a bold move (not run the ball on the goalline with five seconds left bold, but still) and the execution was even better. Hilton had been working his man all night to seemingly set up just that play, and it paid off.
"Matt Hasselbeck is 2-0 this season and has no interceptions in 76 attempts. Andrew Luck still has the second-most interceptions despite not playing the past two weeks. Just saying."
Let’s not “just say that.” There is no reason to bench Luck for Hasselbeck, regardless of how well he has played against the JV teams of the NFL. Even Hasselbeck would agree that Luck should play.
"The Colts should know what’s coming to central Indiana Sunday night: New England’s running game. Last year, Jonas Gray. This year, Dion Lewis. Chuck Pagano will lay everything at the feet of his run defense in the next few days, and let those players know that if they don’t win their battles against the Patriots’ line, the Colts aren’t going to win the game."
Of course King has to bring up the coming game and not give them any praise for the tough road win in Houston. But everything he outlines here is correct too. The Colts have lost the battle in the trenches against the Patriots in their last two meetings, but the improved Indy defensive line could be a difference maker this week.
Yahoo Sports, Frank Schwab: 14th
"Matt Hasselbeck, at 40 years old and barely able to play at Houston because he was so sick, perhaps turning around the Colts season last Thursday night in relief of Andrew Luck will be one of the NFL’s best stories all season."
We’ll spare you the graphic details of what was going on with Hasselbeck last week, but there is no reason he should have been away from home let alone on a football field. Those two wins could easily be the difference maker this season.
Bleacher/Report, Sean Tomlinson: 9th
"The Colts were vulnerable when Andrew Luck suffered a shoulder injury, pushing Hasselbeck into a starting role for two games. They had started 1-2 and were seemingly in a tailspin without Luck.Now they’re 3-2 and leading the AFC South, thanks to a rather elderly spot-starter who has yet to throw an interception over 76 attempts, with a passer rating of 95.0. And it’s all while having been diagnosed with a bacterial infection, according to NFL Network’s Stacy Dales.Football is weird. Don’t bet on it."
Football is random and hard to predict, most of the time. Any team that makes the playoffs can win the Super Bowl, all the Colts have to do is get there. Thankfully the AFC South is a dumpster fire.
"Sooo, can they really hang with Patriots right now, even if Andrew Luck plays? Or hold him out a big longer? #UnLucky"
This is really the big question. The Colts still have unresolved issues heading into a big game with the Patriots. Is Luck really healthy? Is the offensive line fixed? Can the Colts figure out a pass rush? We have no clear answers on any of these issues, and probably still won’t after Sunday.
"At this point we can all agree that the Colts do not know how to win pretty. Thursday’s contest against the Texans was about as painful a football game as you’ll ever see. Still, the Colts pulled out another victory, are on a three-game win streak. Beyond that, their past two victories have come on the 40-year-old arm of Matt Hasselbeck.Indianapolis will go on to win its division, based solely on the fact that it’s occupied with a bunch of JV teams. The most intruiging part about the Colts is with every week they look a little more competent. Hasselbeck’s play has proven they can sit on Andrew Luck’s injury and wait for it to fully heal.They’re by no means a perfect team (nor an aesthetically pleasing one) but there’s something to be said for finding victory when defeat looks imminent."