Tag: Isaiah Rodgers

6 Colts who raised their stock in the upset win over Bills

These six Colts saw their stock rise in the 41-15 win over the Bills.

In what was a wild, dominating win, the Indianapolis Colts (6-5) went on the road to Highmark Stadium on Sunday and upset the Buffalo Bills (6-4) by a score of 41-15 in Week 11.

It was a statement game for the Colts, who had yet to beat an opponent with a winning record this season. Not only did they win, but they also dominated in nearly every facet of the game. From Jonathan Taylor’s historic game to the defense clamping down on a strong Bills passing attack, it was an extraordinary effort from Indy.

Here are six Colts who raised their stock in the Week 11 win.

Stock up, stock down from Colts’ 45-30 win over Jets

Stock report from the Colts’ 45-30 win over the Jets in Week 9.

The Indianapolis Colts (4-5) were able to defeat the New York Jets (2-6) on Thursday night, 45-30, in their highest-scoring game of the season in Week 9.

The offense had several players improve their stock in the outing as almost everyone had a nearly flawless game on that side of the ball. The defense was up and down. There were some good performances and some discouraging outings against a Jets offense led by Mike White and Josh Johnson.

Here’s the stock report from the Colts’ win over the Jets in Week 9:

Stock up, stock down in Colts’ 31-3 win over Texans

Stock report from the Colts’ 31-3 win over the Texans.

The Indianapolis Colts (2-4) entered this game hungry to show they still have what it takes to dominate bad teams in the NFL. They did just that with a commanding 31-3 win over the Houston Texans (1-5) at Lucas Oil Stadium.

It truly was a dominating performance on all fronts for the Colts. The offense moved the ball at will either with chunk plays through the air or with Jonathan Taylor on the ground in the second half.

After taking a look at the takeaways from the win and the studs and duds from the performance, it’s now time to take stock from the divisional victory.

Studs and duds from Colts’ 31-3 win vs. Texans

Studs and duds from the Colts’ 31-3 win over the Texans.

The Indianapolis Colts (2-4) came into Week 6 of the season very much at a crossroads. Would they rebound from a heartbreaking prime-time collapse with a big division victory at home? Or would they fall further into the void of a lost season?

The Colts responded in a big way with a dominating win over the Houston Texans (1-5).

Indianapolis controlled this game from the beginning to the end, with all three phases contributing to an impressive outing. The Colts got turnovers and capitalized with points off of them, were solid in the red zone and made multiple big plays when they were needed.

It was a momentum swing this franchise needed and hopefully, they can continue to build on that and repeat the success of the 2018 season where they also began 1-4 and still made the playoffs.

Here are the studs and duds from the 31-3 win in Week 6:

Colts PFF grades: Best and worst from Week 2 loss vs. Rams

The best and worst PFF grades from the Colts’ loss in Week 2.

The Indianapolis Colts (0-2) are still searching for their first win of the season following their Week 2 loss against the Los Angeles Rams (2-0) at Lucas Oil Stadium.

While we gave our grades looking taking a positional view, Pro Football Focus released their grades for individual players from the Week 2 matchup in the Circle City.

To qualify for these grades, a Colts player must be on the field for at least 20% of his unit’s respective snaps. Here are the best and worst grades from Pro Football Focus in the Week 2 loss:

6 underrated Colts entering 2021 season

The most underrated players on the Colts roster.

Being a midwest team in a relatively small market, the Indianapolis Colts will always have players flying under the radar when it comes to national media attention.

Some players like Kenny Moore and Grover Stewart are finally getting their due with the media, but there are still some players on the roster who may not be getting as much love as they deserve.

Whether they are truly flying under the radar or simply need some more love, here are five Colts who are underrated entering the 2021 season:

4 Colts named to PFWA 2020 All-Rookie team

Jonathan Taylor led the Colts in the All-Rookie team.

Four Indianapolis Colts players were named to the 2020 All-Rookie team, voted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

Those four Colts include running back Jonathan Taylor, kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, kick returner Isaiah Rodgers and special teams linebacker Jordan Glasgow.

Taylor is an easy pick here. He finished the season having earned the rookie rushing title and was third in the NFL in rushing yards. His 11 rushing touchdowns were also tied for the most among rookie running backs.

Blankenship was fifth in the NFL with 32 field goals made and 10th in the NFL with 43 extra-point attempts made.

Rodgers was an electric part of the return team. He took one kick back for a touchdown while his 28.8 yards per kick return was the third-highest average in the league behind only Andre Roberts (30.0) and Cordarrelle Patterson (29.1).

Glasgow was a force on the special teams unit having played the third-most snaps on the roster during that phase of the game.

The Colts led the league with four rookies being voted to the All-Rookie team by the PFWA.

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Colts’ special teams unit ranked 4th in NFL

Colts had an elite special teams unit.

Throughout the 2020 season, the Indianapolis Colts were lauded each and every week in how strong their special teams unit was by opposing teams. That trend will continue into the offseason.

In his annual rankings of special teams units, Rick Gosselin of Sports Illustrated had the Colts ranked as the fourth-best unit in the NFL behind only the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.

Gosselin also mentioned that the Colts had the biggest jump from 2019, going from the 29th-ranked unit to fourth.

The greatest improvement was charted by the Colts, who vaulted from 29th in 2019 to fourth in 2020. Special-teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone was hired by the Colts in 2018 away from the Patriots, where he had been O’Brien’s assistant. New England then hired Judge to replace Ventrone. Now it’s Achord’s turn.

The Colts had a strong unit throughout that phase of the game. They had the NFL’s leader in special teams tackles, George Odum, who was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

They also got strong contributions on the coverage unit from linebackers Zaire Franklin and Jordan Glasgow while long snapper Luke Rhodes continues to be one of the underrated parts of that group.

In the return game, cornerback Isaiah Rodgers was electric on kick returns. He was third in the league averaging 28.8 return yards per kick. Meanwhile, running back Nyheim Hines was sixth in yards per punt return with an average of 10 yards.

This unit was disciplined, physical and well-coached by Ventrone. They were able to flip the field constantly while punting and gave the offense an advantage with their returns.

Special teams may go overlooked often, but the Colts had one of the best units in the league in 2020, and it was a big reason they had the success they did.

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Colts vs. Steelers: Inactive players for Week 16

Inactives for Week 16.

The Indianapolis Colts (10-4) and Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) have released their inactive players lists ahead of the Week 16 matchup at Heinz Field on Sunday.

The Colts will be without both starting offensive tackles for the game. Right tackle Braden Smith is on the reserve/COVID-19 list while left tackle Anthony Castonzo will be inactive due to an ankle injury he suffered during practice this week.

Here’s a look at the inactives for the Colts in Week 16:

Name Position Injury
Anthony Castonzo OT Ankle
Marcus Johnson WR Quad
Jacob Eason QB —
Dezmon Patmon WR —
Isaiah Rodgers CB —

Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad (ankle) was questionable but is active for the game. Rodgers is a bit of a surprise healthy scratch given his work on special teams.

Here’s a look at the inactives for the Steelers in Week 16:

Name Position Injury
Marcus Allen LB Stinger
Chris Boswell K Groin
Anthony McFarland RB Illness
Ola Adeniyi LB Shoulder
Josh Dobbs QB —
Isaiah Buggs DE —

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Colts vs. Titans: Inactive players in Week 12

Inactives in Week 12.

The Indianapolis Colts (7-3) and Tennessee Titans (7-3) have released their inactives players lists for Sunday’s matchup in Week 12 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Colts ruled out two players in linebacker Bobby Okereke and center Ryan Kelly while three players in Jonathan Taylor, DeForest Buckner and Denico Autry are all on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Here’s a look at the inactives for the Colts in Week 12:

Name Position Injury
Bobby Okereke LB Ankle
Ryan Kelly C Neck
Isaiah Rodgers CB Knee
Noah Togiai TE —
Dezmon Patmon WR —
Ben Banogu DE —
Jacob Eason QB —

Okereke, Kelly and Rodgers are all inactive due to their respective injuries. Quarterback Philip Rivers (toe) is officially active despite being questionable entering the weekend. The same goes for Quenton Nelson, Kenny Moore, Zach Pascal, Anthony Walker and Khari Willis.

Here’s a look at the inactives for the Titans in Week 12:

Name Position Injury
Adoree Jackson CB Knee
Adam Humphries WR Concussion
MyCole Pruitt TE Knee
Matt Orzech LS —
Larrell Murchison DL —

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