Darius Leonard’s presence big boost for Colts defense

The Colts got their best defensive player back for their biggest game of the year, and his presence was no small thing for this team.

Darius Leonard missed three games prior to Sunday. He missed them due to a concussion. It was killing him to not be out there on the field. He took all of that frustration and channeled it into a solid performance against Houston in a big game.

Leonard led the team in tackles with 10 and had the game-sealing interception. He came out and made sure that Houston couldn’t establish the run. It was also good to see him be out there in passing situations and make sure he didn’t let the ball get thrown over his head.

It was very interesting to see that Bobby Okereke didn’t even see the field on Sunday. That shows you how the team felt about his performance while filling in for Leonard. While Okereke wasn’t too bad in run scenarios, his pass coverage was just too poor. The rookie isn’t good enough yet.

The difference with Leonard out there instead of Okereke was the reason the Colts won this game. Leonard’s propensity to make big plays is what makes him so special. No bigger example of that was the interception at the end of the game to win it. Leonard can make plays not many others can.

The Colts are in great shape moving forward because their young star is finally healthy. His health is something to monitor in the future though, as he has yet to stay healthy for an entire season in his young career. But as long as he is out there, this is a formidable defense.