Colts rookie Michael Pittman proved he needs to be more of a focal point in passing game

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. proved yet again that he needs to be more of a priority in the passing game.

Most fans would agree that one of the biggest holes on the Indianapolis Colts loaded roster is at wide receiver, and you better believe that GM Chris Ballard will make bolstering the position one of his top priorities in the offseason.

As encouraging as that sounds, however, it doesn’t solve the team’s current problem. With impending free agent TY Hilton no longer being relied upon as the No. 1 option and the tight end rotation fluctuating on a weekly basis, the coaching staff has been desperate for somebody to emerge as a consistent threat for quarterback Philip Rivers.

Well, in extremely timely fashion, it appears as though rookie Michael Pittman Jr. is ready to be that guy. The 2020 second-round pick delivered another promising performance in Sunday’s win over Green Bay and we see no reason why he shouldn’t be made a focal point of the passing game for the rest of the season.

We don’t mean to speak down on the rest of Indianapolis’ wide receiving corps, but we can confidently say that no other pass-catching weapon (WR or TE), could have taken that crossing route to the house.

It obviously helped that Pittman had a linebacker covering him, but he still made that look a lot easier than it should’ve been. That is precisely the kind of dynamism the Colts have been lacking for most of the season while he was recovering from foot surgery.

For the game, Pittman turned three receptions (on three targets) into 66 yards and that touchdown, the first of his young career. With that performance, the USC product managed to etch his name into Indianapolis’ history books and the coaching staff is honestly lucky that not featuring him more often hasn’t come back to haunt them.

We’re obviously not advocating for the Colts to throw off the balance of their offense and give Pittman 12 or more targets per game. After all, sharing the wealth is part of what makes their offense so difficult to figure out.

However, these last three games have further proven the notion that Pittman is the most naturally gifted receiver on the roster. Because of that, there’s no reason for him not to lead the team in targets each week.

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