Colts vs. Patriots: Offensive post-game grades

The Colts fell last night to the Patriots 38-24. They started slow offensively yet again, only scoring 3 points in the first half. Here is how each unit graded during the game.

You can’t only score 3 points in the first half of a game and expect to win. That’s exactly what happened to the Colts last night in Foxboro in a 38-24 defeat. The offense looked lost in the first half, and it partially cost them. Here is how each unit performed last night.

Luck would have gotten an A+ rating if it weren’t for two interceptions, although only one of them was his fault. On that pass, he threw it directly to two Patriot defenders. But other than that, he was spectacular. He did everything he could to bring the Colts back to win. But the lack of talent around him is evident, and it has to be frustrating to a guy who is clearly in his prime.

The running game actually wasn’t too bad. The backs averaged 4 yards per carry. But they weren’t able to run the ball as much because they got down so much so early. Nyheim Hines once again showed he is valuable in the passing game, catching 7 balls. Jordan Wilkins had some good runs, but had a costly fumble too. Turnovers have killed this team all year long.

Eric Ebron had himself a really nice game. He had 2 touchdowns and over 100 yards receiving. He did have a horrible drop at the beginning of the game, but settled down. Erik Swoope had a nice game too. He had a touchdown get overruled, which then allowed Ebron to get his second of the day. Ebron catching 9 passes was the only reason this game was close at some points.

Death, taxes, and Le’Raven Clark giving up a sack. That’s all you can really count on in life. Besides that bad sack, the line actually held together pretty well. Braden Smith did an excellent job in his first start at right tackle. Luck had a lot of time to throw and find receivers. Pretty well done.

This unit disgusts me. The Colts had 6 drops last night. All but one were from this group. They constantly let the team down with their drops. Luck had to be getting frustrated. One of his interceptions was because of a drop. Zach Pascal basically threw the ball up in the air on a silver platter for the Patriots defense to take. And they did. This entire unit needs to be better, because the last two games have been absolutely unacceptable.

Besides the slow start, the offense did it’s part to try and win the game. They need to avoid those slow starts though, and they need to give their quarterback some freaking help.