Colts vs. Dolphins: Defensive post-game grades

The Colts hung on to beat the Dolphins yesterday 27-24. A big reason for that is the defense stepping up to have two big stops at the end of the game. Here is how each defensive unit played.

Winning close games is the sign of a good team. The Colts were able to do that yesterday, winning 27-24 on a last second field goal. In doing that, the defense had a very up-and-down game. Here is how well each individual unit played during the game.

The defensive line didn’t play it’s best game Sunday, but it also wasn’t at it’s worst. It did move the pocket on Ryan Tannehill and force him to move around. They made him uncomfortable even if they weren’t able to actually sack him. Unfortunately, they got pushed around a little bit in the run game in the first half. But they still played a decent game.

Darius Leonard got hurt on the very first play of the game and had a lot of Colts fans scared. But he came back in and had another big game. He had 10 tackles and a sack. Anthony Walker had a decent game as well, recording 9 tackles. The linebackers did a good job of not allowing too many big plays in the running game and did a decent job in coverage.

The secondary had a rough go of it in the third quarter. Pierre Desir got beat on a ridiculous long pass play after he mistimed his jump. That play never should have happened, and it resulted in a touchdown. But at the end of the game, they locked up receivers and prevented Miami from moving the ball.

The defense wasn’t at its best, but it came up big when it mattered most. That’s all they are asked to do because the offense can carry most of the load. Hopefully that continues to happen.