Colts vs. Eagles: Offensive post-game grades
By Ryan Stano
The Colts lost a heart-breaker in Philly 20-16. They had an opportunity to win the game on a late offensive drive and couldn’t do it. Here is how the offense graded out.
The offense had plenty of opportunities in this one. They went 1-5 in the red zone. Those four missed opportunities, including on the last drive, loomed large in this one. The offense just never quite looked sharp. But here are the grades for each of the units.
Andrew Luck did not have his finest game. He went 25/40 for only 164 yards. Luck didn’t take many deep shots. He took one, but underthrew T.Y. Hilton on a sure touchdown. He did have one 33 yard run, but was uninspiring other than that. Luck has to get better, especially in red zone situations if the Colts want to win games against tough opponents.
Because of the lack of time of possession for the Colts, the running backs didn’t get much work. Although you could argue they didn’t have a lot of TOP because the running backs didn’t get work. Either way, the backs weren’t very good. Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines combined for 11 carries for just 37 yards. That is not going to get it done.
Ryan Grant had a good game, making two key catches on the Colts’ only touchdown drive including the touchdown. But other than that, the performance was poor. Chester Rogers dropped two touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton couldn’t find much space to get open. But those dropped TD’s were a killer.
This unit struggled without Jack Doyle. Luck threw it to Eric Ebron 11 times, but only connected on 5. Ebron also dropped a touchdown pass. Erik Swoope only added a single grab. But the lack of production from Ebron in place of Doyle killed the offense.
The Colts need to get Anthony Castonzo back, because Le’Raven Clark just isn’t cutting it. He allowed the sack that effectively ended the game. The line as a whole didn’t open up holes for running backs and was constantly getting pushed back on passing plays. They were going up against a great defensive line, but their performance didn’t allow Luck time to find anyone open downfield.
The offense has been underwhelming all year long. They haven’t put together a full game yet. The defense has actually kept the Colts in game the last two weeks. This unit simply has to get better.