The Indianapolis Colts lost in Week 4 of the NFL season against the Los Angeles Rams in heartbreaking fashion. Indy led for a massive portion of the game, but after 14 points for the Colts were wiped off the board by one player in just two plays (looking in your direction, Adonai Mitchell), the team was unable to put up enough points to come out on top.
Still, that's not to say that there were no good things that happened in the game. This Colts team proved that they could hang with the heavyweights of the NFL. This is a Rams team that easily could have (and probably should have) a record of 4-0 through the first four weeks had they not had a would-be game-winning field goal blocked in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In short, this Rams team is for real. And, were it not for sloppy execution with penalties (see: 11 of them for 88 yards) and Mitchell's aforementioned two gaffes, the Colts very easily could have come out of their game against the Rams unbeaten. There were definitely good things that came from this game, and one of them came in the form of a cornerback who was just recently signed off the street.
The Colts have found a veritable starting cornerback in Mike Hilton
First off, let's get the obvious out of the way. Yes, Hilton was very good for most of the day. Let's not lie to ourselves, however, the reason he's being featured here is because of one play and one play only. The textbook forced fumble he had against Rams running back Kyren Williams to force the defense's only turnover of the day.
Hilton read the Rams' play call and executed exactly what he needed to do perfectly. The play was huge at that point in the game, swinging the momentum back in Indy's favor. To start the half, AD Mitchell turned a would-be touchdown into a very real touchback for the Rams.
The Colts then scored, and directly after they scored, Hilton punched the ball out of Williams' hands for another immediate redzone opportunity.
That's the type of high-impact play that wins games. Unfortunately, this time it didn't pan out, but no one can say that Mike Hilton didn't do his part in trying to help his team win. When Kenny Moore was ruled out for weeks after sustaining a calf injury in Week 3, the already weak secondary looked bleak.
If Hilton can keep making the same kind of impact he did against the Rams in every game, not only will he make Moore's absence not hurt as badly, but Moore won't have to prematurely rush back to the field and potentially suffer an even worse injury.
As has happened so often in sports as of late, calf issues can lead to a torn Achilles, which would shut Moore down not just for weeks, but for the entire year (and likely a good chunk of next season).
Mike Hilton has already shown through just this week that Chris Ballard made the right choice in bringing him in to replace Moore. With any luck, Colts fans, he'll keep up this level of play. The Colts will need it if they're going to continue competing at the very high level they have been thus far into the season.