The Indianapolis Colts travel to Jacksonville looking for their first win of the season. Here are 3 things they just do to avoid being upset.
The Indianapolis Colts went into Week 1 seeking to end the streak of eight straight losses to begin the season. They did that, however, they did not win the game. The Colts went down to Houston to finish in a 20-20 tie. The last time Indy tied a game was when the team was still in Baltimore! There are things that the Colts were alright at on Sunday, and there were things that they need to clean up fast. I am going to talk about three things Indianapolis needs to do to avoid another subpar performance this Sunday against the Jaguars.
3. Colts must catch the ball
Now, me telling Indy’s pass catchers to catch the ball is easier said than done. I can say it all day, but I am not out there playing. But, here is the bottom line: Indianapolis is giving guys good money and a great opportunity to play with a great quarterback who will put the ball where it needs to be.
Drops will kill the flow of a game and can take you out of a game just as quickly as they can put you in one. There were two drops in the end zone that changed the complexion of the game. The first one was the drop by Alec Pierce. He ran a perfect route across the end zone and was wide open. He let the pressure of getting his first catch get to him as the ball fell harmlessly to the turf. The other big drop was in the end zone as well by Ashton Dulin. This one was not as bad, as the defender made a good break on the ball and got a hand on it. Either way, these are two passes that need to be caught. We can not keep leaving points out on the field with drops.
I do not think that it is time to hit the panic button yet, but I do think Indianapolis needs to check its ego and bring in a veteran receiver to help out this young group.
2. Clean up the Special Teams mistakes
The Colts are usually one of the best special teams units in the league as they are well coached by Bubba Ventrone. Sunday, there were far too many mistakes. In a game that you are supposed to win easily, special teams are not a thing you should have to worry about. But like a couple of times last year, a couple of areas in the special teams changed the game.
The main person that is taking most of the blame is kicker, Rodrigo Blankenship. This is understandable, right? I mean, after all, he has one job. Kick the ball. Yes, he did miss the game-winning kick, but not all of the blame needs to be placed on his shoulders. Blankenship went 2-of-3 Sunday on his FG Attempts. Missing the game-winning kick is a thing that we have seen from Hot Rod in the past. I think we could’ve chalked it up to first-game jitters and hoped to see a better performance this week, but the Indy has already released Blankenship and moved on with two new kickers.
Next, one of the most frustrating things in football is running into the punter. You think you have a chance to block the punt and change the momentum of the game and boom, you run into the punter and give them an automatic first down. Well, that happened as well on Sunday. Indy did a phenomenal job at blocking punts last season, so I understand the reasoning for going for it. At key times in the game, however, I think it is best to air on the safe side and give your offense a chance to go to work.
But, once again, these are also things that can be fixed. This is a well-coached group that will clean up the mistakes. If not, changes will be made.
1. Stop trying to be cute
Frank Reich has always had a wide playbook and uses a lot of people in different places. Sometimes, it looks really good, other times, it leaves you scratching your head. Sunday there were times when I thought that the play calling could have been simplified.
In one of the first few drives of the game, the Colts drove right down the field and were stuck inside the five. This happened many times last year and Indy would fail to convert. This happened again. On fourth-and-goal, Matt Ryan lined up out wide and Nyheim Hines was in the shotgun with Jonathan Taylor by his side. Nyheim took the snap and kept the ball instead of handing it to Taylor and the Colts turned the ball over on downs. How do you not give the ball to your best player in that situation? Now, I understand that the Texans were going to be keyed in on JT, but at least run a play-action with Matt Ryan if you are not going to hand it off. I love ideas like this at certain times of the game, this one was not one.
Reich is a great coach that has a long history with the game of football. He is one of the better head coaches in the AFC I feel like. A lot of people are calling for him to give up his play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Marcus Brady. I am not at that point yet, but I feel like, at times, we try to do too much.
This week, when we get in those goal-line situations, put the ball in the hands of your best player and let the results fall where they may.
Colts vs. Jaguars prediction and odds for Week 2
The Indianapolis Colts return to Jacksonville on Sunday to take on the Jaguars in Week 2. Here are the odds and a prediction for the game.