It took every minute for the Colts to mount a successful comeback against

the Giants after falling into an early 14-point hole. It was clear early on that missing Anthony Walker and Clayton Geathers created glaring issues. It wasn’t until after half time that the defense was able to settle down and start playing anywhere close to what it had been playing in previous weeks.The offensive side of the ball wasn’t considerably better. Eric Ebron dropped a pass that hit him in the stomach and left the game in concussion protocol on the same play. He would not return. Andrew Luck committed one of the more embarrassing mistakes I’ve seen a quarterback making Skai Moore Color Rush Jersey , in trying to throw away a ball that didn’t make it out of bounds on an offensive drive that had real traction. The result was a back-breaking early interception.The injuries on offense and defense meant that young players had to step up to seal the deal. Let’s take a look at their contributions to steal a late win at home and keep Indy’s playoff chances alive.OFFENSEIt was a strange offensive game for the Indianapolis Colts. Nothing about how the team scored or marched down the field was particularly familiar. Ebron’s injury limited the impact of tight ends, especially during the second half comeback. Ryan Kelly’s neck injury early in the game limited some of what Frank Reich may have originally planned to do on the ground.Andrew Luck relied heavily on players who had not been previously asked to produce a bulk of the offense. In particular, it is rare that Chester Rogers, Dontrelle Inman, and Zach Pascal would be the seond, third, and fourth most targeted players on the team. The top four receiving targets were all wide receivers. Even Ryan Grant had 3 targets.With that in mind, rookie linemen Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith took their regular 100% of offensive snaps. On their watch, one sack was allowed but nothing got going on the ground. It is incredible how much game script forced Reich into a pass heavy or pass only mindset. There were only 16 opportunities on the ground for the entire game and 1 of them was a kneel down. Given that the Giants had proven to be susceptible to opposing running backs, it was unexpected.Nyheim Hines was the only offensive rookie not on the line to make an impact. He saw the field on 34% of snaps and carried the ball twice for 2 yards and a touchdown. His impact in the passing game dwarfed the yardage production on the ground, as he added 4 receptions on 5 targets for 41 yards.Second-year runner Marlon Mack continued to dominate the backfield duties with 64% of the offensive snaps. He had some key blocks in the passing game and continues to be noticeably improved in this area of his game. He carried the ball 12 times for 34 yards and one touchdown. He added 1 catch on 3 targets for 4 yards.Sophomore wide receiver Zach Pascal saw the field for 52% of the offensive snaps and brought in 4 catches on 7 targets for 41 yards. Mo Alie-Cox continued to see a lot of the field in a hybrid role, gathering 48% of the offensive snaps but did not record a catch and was targeted only once. DEFENSEIt was all hands on deck for the defense. There were more contributions from first- and second-year players for this unit than at any other time this season. You have been warned, this will take a minute.Rookie linebacker Darius Leonard tied for the team lead with 9 total tackles. He played on every defensive snap and also played a key factor in the game-winning interception. He was all over the receiver in the deep middle of the field and certainly impacted Eli Manning’s release point. 9 tackles is a solid game for anyone but just shy of the 40 tackle target Leonard set for himself prior to the game. First-year safety George Odum has been getting a very long look in nickel packages and saw more action without Clayton Geathers on the field. He tied for the team lead with 9 tackles, which is impressive given that he was on the field for 68% of the the defensive opportunities.Rookie linebackers Zaire Franklin and Matthew Adams worked together to replicate Anthony Walker’s impact at middle linebacker. Franklin tallied 6 tackles and saw the field for 54% of the defensive snaps. Adams gathered 5 tackles, including 3 for a loss, and was on the field 52% of the time.Rookie defensive linemen Tyquan Lewis and Kemoko Turay both had opportunities but Lewis continues to dominate the snap count, seeing the field for 80% of the defensive snaps — which is the same of starting defensive tackle Denico Autry. Lewis gathered 2 tackles and 1 quarterback hit. Kemoko Turay continues to sit on the sideline waiting for a legitimate chance to contribute. He used his one snap, his one opportunity to make an impact on defense to register a quarterback hit on Eli Manning. He was dismissed to the sideline and not heard from again.Second-year safety Malik Hooker continues to be a defensive mainstay. He saw the field for every defensive snap, gathered 6 tackles, and made the game winning interception. It has to be a bit of a relief for Hooker to finally get a chance to make a big play in the secondary and to come down with it. It has been a completely different in his second season in a new defense and he has had to learn a lot in his new role.Sophomore cornerbacks Kenny Moore, Quincy Wilson and Nate Hairston all received opportunities on defense. Moore led the way with 5 tackles on 95% of the defensive snaps. He went down with an injury during the game but made it back onto the field. Losing Moore would be catastrophic to Indy’s chances moving forward.Quincy Wilson registered 3 tackles and saw the field for 46% of the defensive snaps. He also went down with an injury and will hopefully not be impacted moving forward. Hairston received 2 defensive snaps and didn’t register a defensive stat but gathered a special teams tackle. It is incredible to see how he went from a rookie sensation to invisible after a scheme change.Sophomore defensive tackles Al-Quadin Muhammad and Grover Stewart both had important roles to play with Al Woods out for the year. Muhammad gathered 3 tackles, including 1 for a loss on 29% of the defensive snaps. Stewart tallied 1 tackle on 23% of the defensive opportunities.ANALYSISThe Colts will need to recover from injuries at key positions if they hope to not only win in Nashville but have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs. The injury to Ryan Kelly’s neck changes the offensive line from one that can dominate opponents to one that can perform reasonably well. Missing Anthony Walker in the middle of the defense cannot happen long-term. He has been a huge part of the defense stepping up this season and no one player on the roster is capable of replacing him. Finally https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jack-Mewhort-Jersey , Clayton Geathers is one of the more underappreciated members of the Colts defense. He is a blue collar player who does a lot of dirty work at the second level. He doesn’t often get any glory for his contributions but the third line defender plays aggressively toward the line of scrimmage and not having him compounds the loss of Walker.Until these players can fully recover from injury, rookies will be called upon to step up. It will be a committee approach and a trial by fire when the stakes are at their highest. Indianapolis is left needing at least one more player to step out into the spotlight as having a bright future to get the job done. Who will it be? The Patriots have dominated the Colts over the past few seasons, but there could be a change of guard in the AFC." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesStampede Blue homepageHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityFollow Stampede Blue online:Follow Stampede Blue on TwitterFollow Stampede Blue on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchStampede Blue main menuFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Breaking NewsAndrew Luck Retires×Analyzing Colts biggest threats in the AFC: New England PatriotsNew,64commentsThe Patriots have dominated the Colts over the past few seasons, but there could be a change of guard in the AFC.EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Analyzing Colts biggest threats in the AFC: New England PatriotsTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesThe Patriots are reigning Super Bowl champions and never seem to go away. Tom Brady is 41 years old, and still playing at a high level. He even is an excellent playoff quarterback. To go along with him, Bill Belichick is the greatest coach of all time. The Patriots have once again lost plenty of talent in free agency. Their squad is still deep, however, and they look like a force to be reckoned with in the AFC.They have to be considered early favorites to go to the Super Bowl for the umpteenth time.<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="HNKtRd">StrengthsPhoto by Scott Cunningham/Getty ImagesThe Patriots’ biggest strength last season was their offense. They ranked in the top 5 in rushing offense and top 10 in passing. The Rams were the only other team to have a top 10 running and passing offense. The success of the Patriots offense relies a lot on the experience and pre-snap reads of quarterback Tom Brady. Brady is the perfect quarterback to run the complex offense of the Patriots. He gets the ball out of his hands lighting fast while not allowing the opposing pass rush to get to him. His years of experience have allowed him to become the best at reading defenses and adjusting throughout the game.Behind Brady, the Pats have perhaps the best running back group in the NFL. Led by rookie sensation and playoff hero Sony Michel, and featuring receiving specialist James White, and versatile Rex Burkhead. Michel has the talent and potential to become one of the best running backs in the NFL, White is nearly impossible to cover in the passing game, and is an excellent chain mover, and Burkhead does a bit of everything. In front of the backs, they have one of the best offensive lines in the League. Brady’s pre-snap reads surely make life easier for them, but the line is rarely penalized, always seem to give Brady enough time to throw and can open up running lanes. They might have lost starting left tackle Trent Brown in free agency, but they are getting back former first-round pick Isaiah Wynn from injury. Also worth noting, the Patriots have Josh “The Snake” McDaniels calling the shots on offense, and despite the hate we Colts fans have for him, he is a pretty good offensive coordinator.The Pats also had one of the best scoring defenses in the NFL and were among the League best in turnovers forced. Despite a lack of pass rush (30th in sacks) J'Marcus Webb Jersey , the Patriots defense found ways to keep opponents off the scoreboard.Finally, the Patriots biggest strength: Bill Belichick. BB is unarguably the greatest coach in NFL history, and perhaps even the history of sports, period. He consistently gets the most out of every player he coaches, his players are always in the best position to succeed, the Pats are mentally the toughest team and he just has a winning aura around him. As long as BB is the coach, the road to the Super Bowl goes through New England.WeaknessesPhoto by Justin K. Aller/Getty ImagesIt is quite hard to find a glaring weakness in the Patriots, as the rest of the NFL may agree, and whatever flaws they do have, Bill Belichick does a damn good job at concealing them.The Patriots biggest question mark heading into next season has to be whether or not Tom Brady can continue playing at an elite level, as he will start the season at 42 years old. Quarterbacks do not generally decline gradually. Instead, they seem to suddenly fall off a cliff. Peyton Manning posted a 9 touchdown, 17 interception, 2249 yards (10 starts) season immediately after a 39/15/4727 one. If Brady regresses like Manning, then the Patriots chances of success drop drastically. The Patriots lack of talent in the front 7 is also cause for concern, especially after losing starter Trey Flowers in free-agency. The Patriots were awful at rushing the opposing passer. However, the fact the pass-rush was nearly nonexistent did not seem to handcuff the defense, and they will probably do just fine without a premier pass-rusher on the team.How they match up with the ColtsThe Patriots have had the Colts’ number since Andrew Luck took over at quarterback, but with the direction the Colts have been going recently, that could change. The Patriots became a run-first team last season, relying heavily on their running back group. The Colts were quite good at stopping the run last year, ranking 8th in yards allowed. If the Colts are able to stop the Pats rushing attack and force Brady to beat them with his arm Jordan Wilkins Color Rush Jersey , they have their best chance of winning. Stopping the short throws the Patriots rely on is also imperative. The Colts cornerbacks are capable of playing press coverage, and both Darius Leonard and rookie Bobby Okereke have the athleticism to cover James White on passing downs. Without Tight end Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots also lack an established vertical threat, which should allow Eberflus to play a much more compact defense.The Colts elite offensive line should be able to give Luck more than enough time to try and beat New England’s talented secondary, but if the Colts want a real shot at beating their arch-rivals, then the running game has to be established early. On this season’s Week 5 match-up, the Colts were without starting running back Marlon Mack, and it showed. The Colts gained only 84 yards on the ground. Also, the Colts pass rush had 0 sacks and got to hit Brady just 3 times on 44 dropbacks. Brady, like all quarterbacks, is much more prone to mistakes when pressured, so the Colts have to find a way of getting to him.This season, the Colts look much better prepared to face the Patriots than in recent years. The addition of Justin Houston should help the Colts get to Brady, and their front 7 has been improved, along with the running game. The Colts will not face the Patriots in the regular season, so the only possibility of a revenge game would be in the playoffs.If the Colts are to play once again in a Super Bowl, then they will most likely have to defeat the Patriots, and this time the result might change.