The Indianapolis Colts entered their must-win game against the San Francisco 49ers down two starting offensive linemen, while a third was playing out of position. A few plays in, they lost breakout center Tanor Bortolini. For most of the game, the only Colts’ lineman playing in his normal spot was left guard Quenton Nelson.
The impact was evident in the running game. The 49ers, who have struggled to stop the run without future Hall of Fame linebacker Fred Warner on the field, held the Colts to just 58 yards on the ground and an anemic 2.9 yards per carry. Indy entered the games averaging 124 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry.
A good part of that can be attributed to the rejiggered offensive line, but Shane Steichen’s play-calling did the running game no favors. He often ran to the right, behind backup guard Dalton Tucker and tackle Matt Goncalves, who has been at guard this year.
Jalen Travis stakes a claim to start at right tackle for the Indianapolis Colts
To be fair, when he did try Jonathan Taylor on the stronger left side behind Nelson and tackle Jalen Travis, Indy fared no better. Steichen seemed ill-inclined to use many 12 or 13 personnel, which would have had tight ends Mo Alie-Cox and Andrew Ogletree helping out with the blocking.
So the run game faltered. Even so, there was at least on bright spot on the offensive line.
Jalen Travis started at left tackle in place of Bernhard Raimann. Last week, the rookie fourth-round pick was on the right side, filling in for Braden Smith. Though Luke Tenuta took over at left tackle when Raimann was hurt last week, Steichen and staff decided to move Travis left, slide Goncalves out to right tackle, and insert Tucker at right guard.
Travis, despite an early alignment penalty, acquitted himself quite well.
Jalen Travis is a classic developmental tackle. He has impressive physical gifts – standing 6’8, and weighing 339 pounds. He has the long arms teams covet in a tackle. And he has always been praised for his character and his intelligence. He played on both the right and left side in college, making him an ideal swing tackle backup in the pros.
The knock on Travis coming out of college was that he only had one year of experience against high-caliber opponents. Travis spent his first four college seasons playing for Princeton in the Ivy League. He transferred to Iowa State for his final season and showed he could hold his own against ranked opponents like Arizona State and Miami.
The plan was for Travis to compete with Blake Freeland to be the primary swing tackle. When Freeland was injured, Travis won by default. But he has come along faster than Chris Ballard expected.
On Monday, Travis looked very fast coming out of his stance on pass protection. Indianapolis’ first touchdown provided an excellent example. The edge rushing against him, Clelin Ferrell jumped early, giving Philip Rivers a free play. An experienced QB like Rivers knows to look deep in that situation, and he did, hitting Alec Pierce with a 20-yard touchdown strike.
What is easy to overlook is that Travis, despite the early start by his opponent, had no trouble getting into position and sealing off the edge. If Ferrell uses his jump to get around Travis and pressure Rivers, that play doesn’t happen. Indy still gets the five yards from the penalty, but they don’t get the touchdown.
Travis seemed comfortable in pass protection for much of the game. And though the Colts struggled mightily to run the ball, much of the pressure came from the inside. Tucker and Danny Pinter rarely got movement up front, while Nelson played just about his worst game of the season. Perhaps it was because he was lining up between two brand-new linemates.
As a unit, the Colts' line did not block well, but in isolation, Jalen Travis looked very good. The Colts need to decide on whether to try and re-sign right tackle Braden Smith this offseason. With other pressing personnel matters on the table, they may not be able to afford the veteran.
If that is the case, Jalen Travis just made it clear that he is ready to step into a larger role next season.