Through eight games of last season, the Indianapolis Colts only had one loss. This season, one that was supposed to be filled with a sense of urgency, Indy will have at least five losses in as many games. That is because Indianapolis lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7.
No one should have been surprised by this, of course. The Colts had lost their last seven road games, just one of many troubling trends for the team over the last many years.
Obviously, any loss is going to have more losers than winners for Indy, but in a dark season, let's make sure we remember that not every part of the team is bad. The team does have a couple of winners even while losing to Minnesota.
Winners and losers from the Indianapolis Colts loss to the Minnesota Vikings
Winner: Adetomiwa Adebawore
Adebawore has long flashed an ability to pressure quarterbacks, though he didn't really get a chance to do even that until last season. This year, he's been one of the consistently good aspects of the pass rush and is more dangerous since he plays along the inside of the defensive line.
In the first half with the Vikings driving, the defensive lineman also showed he can play the run well, chasing down running back Jordan Mason near the sideline for a one-yard gain. Adebawore is set for free agency after the season, and his asking price is only getting higher. He finished the game with two sacks and two tackles for loss.
Winner: Jaylahn Tuimoloau
After a wasted rookie season, Tuimoloau has slowly been making himself more important in his second season. His pass-rush numbers might not be huge, but he's been stout against the run. With the seeming disappearance of Laiatu Latu, Indianapolis has needed anyone else to step up, and that has been Tuimoloau, shockingly.
Winner: Seth McGowan
Would it be weird to give half credit to Chris Ballard here? The former GM was the one who chose McGowan in the seventh round, after all. So far, the running back has been quite good at getting some reps from Jonathan Taylor and while returning kickoffs.
Against the Vikings, McGowan was on the verge of breaking off a long run while picking up first downs. The issue was when Indianapolis ran the ball, not run it with McGowan and Taylor.
Loser: Daniel Jones
Jones continues to play iffy football, and that is a sunny way of looking at his performance. At the end of the first half on 2nd-and-goal (though from the 18-yard line due to a holding penalty) and with Indy having two timeouts, Jones took an unnecessary sack that pushed his team back another 10 yards and cost it time on the clock. Good quarterbacks don't do that.
Jones was also lucky not to be intercepted when under pressure in the second half, when he just threw the ball high into the air to no one. What he was thinking was unknown, but he was fortunate not to turn the ball over.
He did finally turn the ball over with Jones trying to lead his offense on a touchdown-winning drive with a little over a minute left. Instead, Jones was baited into a throw by Harrison Smith, which Smith easily intercepted.
Loser: Spencer Shrader
What a season it had been for Shrader. He had made 22 field goals in a row, but then he missed one from 57 yards against the Vikings. Fine and forgivable. His second miss in the second half was brutal, though. He was wide right from 48 yards, and Indianapolis should have been tied with the makeable kick.
Loser: Head coach Shane Steichen
Injuries or not, and even if tight end Tyler Warren had been healthy, things likely wouldn't have changed; Steichen's offense was destroyed by the Vikings' defense. That was partly because of Steichen's doing. He made some odd calls in short-yardage situations, including a key 3rd-and-2 when Steichen decided to throw instead of go with the run.
The issue was that the run was working well. Steichen didn't use Jonathan Taylor and Seth McGowan enough. The Colts threw the ball 22 times, but Jones was also sacked four times and scrambled a couple of times. The breakdown between run and pass was nearly even, and it shouldn't have.
Overall, Indianapolis finished with 218 total yards. 64 of those -- only 64 -- came from throwing the ball. That should have dictated Steichen's play calls, but it didn't.
Loser: Edge rusher Laiatu Latu
Where has Latu gone this season? He was supposed to have a true breakout year, but he's disappeared. Against Minnesota, he had one tackle and one quarterback hit. Through six games, he has one sack and zero tackles for loss. That is inexcusable.
Maybe the issue is defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's scheme. That could be a valid reason, though Latu deserves a large share of the blame.
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