Colts: What to expect with Darius Leonard’s return vs Lions

Darius Leonard is slated to return when the Colts take on the Lions in Week 8.

Despite the Indianapolis Colts sporting one of the best defenses in the league through the first seven weeks of the season, they allowed 44 first-half points in their last two games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. That’s downright bad, no matter how you look at it.

The common denominator in those two games, however? Indy was without defensive captain Darius Leonard, who left the team’s Week 5 game against the Chicago Bears with a groin injury and has been out of action ever since.

But now the former All-Pro is ready for action against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and here’s what Colts fans can expect when he takes the field.

This is the team’s defensive leader. The energy he brings each and every week certainly helps this defense maintain its identity. He’s also one of the best tacklers and pressure/coverage linebackers in the entire league. That’ll help Indy in many different facets.

When you look at the fact the Colts gave up 222 rushing yards and 560 passing yards the past two games while registering just three sacks, Leonard’s ability to blow up plays and take on coverage assignments vs opposing tight ends, receivers and running backs will play an immense role in getting the defense off the field much quicker.

We know it’s hard to credit one singular player with this much influence on a unit of 11 guys, especially when it’s not a lockdown cornerback or unstoppable pass rusher, but Leonard really is that guy, and his absence has proven that.

Add in what defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus told 107.5 The Fan earlier this week, and this is all you need to know.

"“I would say his presence. I know that sounds simplistic, but it’s deeper than just the word. Him being in there at practice, his emotion, his passion, certainly is contagious. We all know that. He’s contagious for the entire building, when he’s in the locker room and on the practice field. So just his passion and enthusiasm that he brings every single day because this guy comes to work every single day. He’s one of our hardest workers, if not the hardest THE hardest worker on the practice field. He brings it and he means it when he brings it. It’s coming from the heart with him. His presence on the football field is certainly felt as well. We obviously have him (lined up) right over the football, on the hash, right over the quarterback. That’s by design because we feel that he’s one of our premier players. He is a definite presence in there, in the run and pass game, so we are excited to get him back.”"

And facing the Lions is a legitimate test against for Leonard to prove his presence truly is a momentous difference maker, especially since the team struggled mightily against lesser units in the Browns and Bengals. Matthew Stafford and his arsenal of weapons (Marvin Jones Jr., Kenny Golladay, TJ Hockenson, Danny Amendola, D’Andre Swift, Adrian Peterson) are arguably more imposing than a shaky Baker Mayfield-led Browns’ offense without Nick Chubb and a Bengals’ unit led by rookie Joe Burrow.

In terms of the first half, get ready for the Colts defense to be playing with a lot more conviction and urgency, because that’s what they’ve been missing first and foremost for the last two and a half games.

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