Week 3 Grade: Indianapolis Colts Defense vs. Browns
By Andrew Ites
The Colts’ defense was playing a bit shorthanded on Sunday, but their ability to create turnovers helped them get their first victory of the season.
Cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Quincy Wilson were each sidelined with an injury this week, but the Indianapolis secondary stepped up and picked off three passes from Deshone Kizer, which really ended up being the difference in the game.
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Cornerback Rashaan Melvin entered Sunday’s game with zero career interceptions. He ended up adding two to his career total with one of those interceptions coming deep in the red zone halting a promising Cleveland drive.
Safety Malik Hooker also got his second career interception as he sealed the game late in the third quarter.
The pass defense had been a major issue through the first two weeks giving up over 300 yards passing in each of those games. The Colts’ defensive backs made Kizer look like a rookie making his third career start as they held the Browns to 235 yards on less than 5 yards per attempt through the air.
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The Colts’ run defense had been the biggest strength of the team through the first two weeks of the regular season, but the Browns were able to move the ball at will on the ground rushing for 5.3 yards per carry. Cleveland is one of the better rushing offenses in the league, but the Colts need to perform a bit better in that area moving forward.
The Colts’ offense jumped out to a lead, which made the Browns’ offense one-dimensional. The defense pounced, and made enough plays to hold them off in the end.