Indianapolis Colts Opponent Scouting Report: 49ers Running Backs

The Indianapolis Colts square off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. While the Niners are off to a woeful 0-4 start, little blame can be pinned on fourth-year running back Carlos Hyde.

The former Ohio State Buckeye comes in to Sunday’s matchup ranked sixth in the league in rushing yards.

Hyde has gotten off to a great start in 2017 as he’s rushed for 321 yards and 2 touchdowns and averaging almost 5 yards per carry.

While catching the ball out of the backfield has typically not been a large part of his game, Hyde has caught 17 passes for 88 yards in 2017.

He is a big back with an aggressive downhill running style. Last season, Hyde fell just 12 yards shy of eclipsing 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

Hyde’s biggest weakness may be his inability to stay on the field. He has yet to complete a full 16-game season and has missed 12 of the last 36 games due to ankle, foot and knee injuries.

More from Horseshoe Heroes

Matt Breida, the undrafted free agent rookie from Georgia Southern, and Raheem Mostert, the third-year back out of Purdue, fill out the 49ers backfield. However, these two backup running backs have less than 100 rushing yards combined through 4 games.

According to NFL.com, the Colts rank 31st in total defense and 22nd against the run.

Johnathan Hankins, Jabaal Sheard and the rest of the Indianapolis front seven will have to step up to stop the San Francisco running attack.

If the Colts can keep Carlos Hyde in check and force Brian Hoyer to to beat them through the air, Indianapolis stands a good chance of walking out of Lucas Oil Stadium with a win.

Home/Colts News