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Colts: First quarter-season report card for Indy offense

By Dennis J. Hassell

Philip Rivers #17 of the Indianapolis Colts calls a play during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on September 13, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Philip Rivers #17 of the Indianapolis Colts calls a play during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on September 13, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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Colts running back Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor #28 celebrates a touchdown against Minnesota Vikings on September 20, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Running Backs:  B.  “Rushing the rushing hurts the GPA — and YPC.”

This would be a different grade with a healthy Marlon Mack, but this is about the real-time Colts.

Multiply the stats from the first quarter, and we can project what players are CURRENTLY on track to achieve over the whole season:

Rookie Jonathan Taylor is on track (if he doesn’t miss a single game) for exactly a 1,000 yard season in 2020. But that’s averaging only 62 yards per game. Who’s getting all the other running yards needed to compete with the elite? Nyheim Hines is valuable change of pace, but the Bears sat on him, and on the rook, JT28. Head Coach Frank Reich says there were some trip-ups and penalties so “yards were left on the field” — but doesn’t that happen every game? There was only one run over 10 yards against da Bears (who practice on a sodden field — did you see the turf flying up like a rainy day at Augusta?

In this run-first offense, it’s fair to say that the Colts O-line and the running backs have not covered themselves with glory in rushing offense.   Not yet, anyway.

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