Week 3 Grade: Indianapolis Colts Special Teams vs. Browns
By Andrew Ites
The Colts’ special teams units have been solid through the first two weeks of the season, and they needed another strong performance to earn a three-point victory over the Browns on Sunday.
Indianapolis has become known for their edge in the kicking game during the Chuck Pagano era, and that continued in a Week 3 win over Cleveland.
B
The success of rookie punter Rigoberto Sanchez has been one of the most important under the radar stories for the Colts this season.
Sanchez excelled again on Sunday with an average of 45.7 yards on 7 punts with 2 of those being downed inside the Browns’ 20-yard line. Sanchez has also shown off a powerful leg on kickoffs, and he did not give Cleveland a chance to take one back as he kicked 6 touchbacks on 6 kickoffs.
44-year-old kicker Adam Vinatieri had one of the worst games of his 22-year career in Week 1 missing his only field goal try, and shanking his one extra point attempt.
Vinatieri has righted the ship since then as he went 2/2 on field goals and 1/1 on extra points in Week 2, and he followed that up in Week 3 by going 4/4 on extra points and nailing a 33-yard field goal that ended up being the difference in the game.
More from Horseshoe Heroes
- Colts explored hiring former quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky
- When is the NFL Combine 2023? NFL Combine schedule, events, how to stream
- Latest NFL mock draft has Colts trading up to No. 1 for star QB
- Eagles offensive free agents that could follow Shane Steichen to Colts
- Here’s why Colts linebacker Shaq Leonard is going to love Shane Steichen
Quan Bray wasn’t given much room to operate in the punt return game as he gained 16 yards on 3 returns, with most of his yardage coming on a 13-yard return. The Colts would like to see a bit more production from Bray in the return game going forward.
Overall, the Colts’ special teams units showed up to play again on Sunday, and those performances go a long way in winning these tight games.