Colts: This stat proves it’s time to move on from TY Hilton after 2020
By Adam Weinrib
Indianapolis Colts WR TY Hilton has had a bizarrely bad 2020, and 2019…not the greatest walk year of all time.
Colts No. 1 wide receiver TY Hilton has made it very clear that he’d prefer to remain in Indianapolis long-term, if given the chance.
Unfortunately, what seemed like a prime opportunity at a hometown discount now feels like a somewhat uncomfortable decision that must be made.
Coming off a down year in 2019 and continuing all the negative trends this season, Hilton hasn’t been himself lately. Or, you know, a bit longer than lately.
As it turns out, Hilton hasn’t posted a 100-yard receiving game since Andrew Luck was under center in 2018. That could be a problem — Luck isn’t walking through that door to help with the contract extension.
#Colts' WR TY Hilton has been held under 100 yards receiving in 15 consecutive games. His last 100+ yard receiving game was with Andrew Luck at QB in 2018. pic.twitter.com/UGbBHHww2R
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 18, 2020
Hilton summed up his feelings in an interview with the Indianapolis Star this week, and he certainly sounds like a man searching for a solution.
"“My team needs me. Looks for me to make explosive plays, and I haven’t been doing that lately. I’ve just got to find a way. It’s not frustrating for me. I’m getting flags, getting explosives. I can’t do anything when the guy’s holding me but just draw the flag. We’ve just got to keep at it, stay with it and know it’s going to turn.”"
This was supposed to be a season during which Hilton could eat, with gunslinger Philip Rivers under center, fearless about the deep ball. When Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman Jr. both went down with injuries, there truly was no excuse for Hilton not to feast.
And yet, the wideout is still in the doldrums, looking for any sort of breakout performance.
Hilton does not have a future in Indianapolis if he’s going to look middling and stuck in the mud, especially in an offense that supposedly caters to his talents.
Rivers isn’t the QB of the future, and Hilton isn’t the team’s top wideout option going forward, either. That’s a lot more uncertainty than we were hoping for midway through this transitional season.
Oh, and one catch for 11 yards on Sunday. Great. That’s the good stuff. Even in an offensive outburst, there were no encouraging signs here.
