With Bernhard Raimann ruled out for the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 12 matchup with the Lions, rookie Matt Goncalves is in line for his third NFL start.
Goncalves, a third-round selection by the Colts in this past April’s draft, would make his first start in Week 9 against Minnesota when Raimann was sidelined while in concussion protocol.
Then, the following week against Buffalo, although Goncalves didn’t start, he played a significant role with Raimann exiting after 13 snaps with the same knee injury that has kept him out of what is now the last two games.
Not unexpected for a rookie who is making the jump to the NFL and navigating the learning curve that comes with that, but Goncalves has experienced his ups and downs when called upon.
In pass protection, he’s allowed three sacks and seven pressures. From Weeks 9-11, Goncalves ranks 68th out of 74 eligible tackles in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric. Against the run, he has fared better, ranking 30th in run-blocking grade.
Awaiting Goncalves and the Colts’ offensive line this week is a Lions’ front that still ranks 10th in pressure rate, even without Aidan Hutchinson, who is on injured reserve, and is eighth in yards per rush allowed.
Based on what we saw from Detroit last week against Jacksonville, it looks like the recently acquired Za’Darius Smith is who Goncalves will be seeing a lot of. The Lions traded for Smith at the trade deadline, and in his first game with the team, he spent most of his snaps lined up on the defense’s right side, which will put him across from Goncalves.
On the season, Smith has totaled 27 pressures, including five sacks, and ranks sixth among all edge defenders in pass rush win rate.
Success for the Colts’ offense as a whole is going to have to begin with the run game. For one, moving the ball on the ground keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations. It can also help open up opportunities in the passing game when operating from manageable down-and-distances.
But in addition to that, against the highest-scoring offense in football, the Colts’ ability to sustain drives and limit possessions will likely be crucial.