Colts: Rodrigo Blankenship has outscored Indy’s opponents by himself during streak

Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship has somehow outscored Indy’s last three opponents by himself.

The disconcerting vibes stemming from the Colts’ humbling Week 1 loss to Jacksonville are long gone, as head coach Frank Reich’s side has responded to the public evisceration by rattling off three consecutive (and dominant) victories.

Their latest came in the form of a 19-11 win over Chicago on Sunday and the final score doesn’t properly articulate how significant of a mismatch it was. The biggest takeaway, at least in our eyes, was once again the formidable showing from the defense, which didn’t surrender a touchdown until the final minute of the fourth quarter when the game’s outcome was pretty much already decided.

Over the last three weeks, Indianapolis’ defense has been impenetrable, allowing a combined 29 points. For context, the group hasn’t surrendered more than two touchdowns in a game since the debacle to open the season when the Jaguars put up a whopping 27 points.

What makes those numbers look all the more impressive? Rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship has literally outscored the Colts’ last three opponents by more than a touchdown (37-29).

Through the first four games of his NFL career, Blankenship has converted 12-of-14 field goal attempts (86.7%). He’s also a perfect 9-for-9 on extra points. Those are ridiculous numbers, and it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the former Georgia star is tied for the league lead with 45 points leading up to Monday night’s doubleheader.

That stat really speaks to the Colts’ offensive struggles in the red zone, as six of Blankenship’s FG tries have come in the 30-39 yard range. In fact, their scoring percentage from the red zone — which only factors in touchdowns — is an abysmal 46.67%, which ranks 28th in the NFL.

We’re not trying to take anything away from Blankenship’s remarkable start to the year, but assuming Indy’s defense comes back down to earth, the offense is going to need to be more lethal after it moves the ball deep into an opponent’s territory.

Kicking four field goals compared to scoring one touchdown isn’t always going to translate to wins, so you can bet that Reich and the rest of the coaching staff will address the team’s red zone struggles at practice this week.

Either way, those flaws have given Blankenship the chance to prove himself very early on in his rookie season and he’s more than answered the call. It’s safe to say that the collective concerns among Colts fans about the team’s kicking situation in the wake of veteran Adam Vinatieri’s departure have been quelled.

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