Colts vs. Falcons: Offensive post-game grades

The Colts were able to survive in their home opener, beating the Falcons 27-24. The offense played great in the first half and came up big late when they needed to.

Jacoby Brissett and company came into today’s game trying to show everyone that this team needs to be taken seriously. They accomplished that, winning at home 27-24 over a pesky Atlanta team. The offense looked really good in the first half, but then struggled in the third quarter. Here is how each unit played on the offense today.

Brissett started this game about was well as you can start, going 16/16 early. He ended up with 310 passing yards on 28/37 passing and two touchdowns. He was in command of the offense early, and was in command late on the last two drives.

This is the kind of game that the Colts know he is capable of. It’s the reason they signed him to an extension, and why they still think they can make the playoffs. He didn’t turn the ball over and made some great throws. If he keeps playing like this, this is a hard team to beat.

For most of the game, the Falcons actually did a pretty good job stopping the run game. Marlon Mack only busted out one long run, and it was on the final drive for 26 yards. He did have one touchdown as well, but the other backs were kind of useless. They combined for one yard on five carries.

The offensive line struggled in the first half opening up holes in the running game, but fixed that late on the last two drives. Quenton Nelson continues to impress, and they ran behind him on that final drive to pick up some critical yards.

In pass protection, the line did a great job. Brissett was only sacked once, and that was his fault for holding the ball too long. They gave him ample time to scan the field and find open receivers. This unit continues to be one of the best in the league.

The tight ends were big in this game, especially in the second half. After T.Y. Hilton went down with an injury, the tight ends were the primary target for Brissett. Eric Ebron caught 3 balls for 47 yards. Mo Alie-Cox had 2 catches for 25 yards. Jack Doyle was the best of the bunch, catching 4 passes for 46 yards, including the game-sealing catch on the final drive.

This group continues to be one of the deepest tight end groups in football. Brissett loves throwing to tight ends, and he has three good ones to throw to. They will continue to be a big part of the gameplan, both in the passing and the running game.

T.Y. Hilton was excellent in this one before reaggravating his quad injury on a touchdown catch at the end of the first half. He had 8 catches for 65 yards and that touchdown in just the first half. The Colts hope he will be healthy for next week.

The problem was, no one stepped up from the wide receiver group after he got hurt. Parris Campbell was the receiver with the highest amount of catches after Hilton, securing 3 balls for 24 yards. It would have been great to see someone step up and have a big game.

All-in-all, this was a good performance by the offense. They need to make it a little bit more consistent, but it was a good offensive effort in a big win.