Colts CB Rock Ya-Sin has perfect chance to redeem himself vs Texans

Struggling Colts CB Rock Ya-Sin has a perfect opportunity to redeem himself vs the depleted Texans.

Given his recent struggles, it’s not hyperbolic to say that the Indianapolis Colts coaching staff’s patience is wearing thin with cornerback Rock-Ya Sin. After all, he went from playing 93.3% of the defensive snaps in Week 11 to a career-low 37.5% share last weekend against the Titans.

We won’t go as far as to say that Ya-Sin was benched, but it was pretty darn close, and rightfully so given his lackluster performance. The 2019 second-round pick was at fault for AJ Brown’s 69-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter and committed two third-down penalties (on the same drive) later in the game that kept the Colts’ undermanned defense on the field.

Luckily for Ya-Sin, however, a get-right opportunity will present itself on Sunday against a Texans team that will be without wide receiver Will Fuller, who was just suspended six games by the league for a performance-enhancing drug violation.

This is huge news for the Colts because Fuller has proven capable of taking the top off of every defense he’s come up against this season. In 11 games, the 26-year-old speedster registered 53 catches for 879 yards and eight touchdowns, the latter of which ranks fourth in the NFL.

His 16.6 yards per reception also ranks sixth among qualified receivers. For a cornerback who loves to get handsy in coverage — and seemingly not be discreet about it — Fuller’s downfield presence could really have seen Ya-Sin exposed for the third week in a row.

Fans in Indianapolis will be quick to remember that the Packers made it an emphasis to isolate him in coverage two weeks ago, and he responded by getting beat for a touchdown and setting up another just before halftime on a mind-numbing pass interference penalty.

With Randall Cobb (toe) on injured reserve, Ya-Sin will only have to worry about Brandin Cooks in terms of proven receivers on Houston. While the former first-round pick warrants respect from a dynamic standpoint, he’s nowhere close to as dangerous as Fuller.

To put it simply, if Ya-Sin doesn’t enjoy a bounce back performance on Sunday vs Houston’s ravaged receiving corps, we’re honestly not sure when it will happen.

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