Tag: Josh Downs

PFF highlights potential favorable matchup for Colts’ offense vs Bills

Pro Football Focus highlighted a potential favorable matchup for the Indianapolis Colts’ offense against the Bills in Week 10.

It shouldn’t matter who the opponent is, Josh Downs should always be a major part of the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive gameplan each week.

However, as we look at the Colts’ upcoming game against the Buffalo Bills, in terms of matchup opportunities to potentially capitalize on, Downs from the slot versus the Bills cornerbacks could be a plus matchup.

Despite missing two games with a high-ankle sprain at the start of the season, Downs has been one of the most productive slot receivers in football this season.

He will enter Week 10 ranked fifth in receptions and receiving yards from the slot, he’s second in touchdowns, and is eighth in total YAC.

“He is one of the smartest, cerebral players I’ve ever been around as a young player,” said Shane Steichen on Wednesday. “Knowing coverages, how to attack it, finding the dead spots. And I think he’s only gonna develop and continuing to grow in that area.”

Opposite of Downs will be a Bills’ secondary that, according to Pro Football Focus, ranks 28th in yards allowed to slot receivers.

Leading the way in slot snaps for the Bills are safety Cam Lewis and cornerback Taron Johnson. Combined the two have allowed 55 receptions on 66 targets this season at 10.7 yards per catch with three pass breakups and one interception.

In the four games where Joe Flacco has been at quarterback for the Colts, Downs has been a favorite target of his, with 37 targets during that span.

Given the matchup, this again, as most weeks have become, could be another game where Downs is targeted heavily. However, consistent success for the Colts offense is going to have to begin with Jonathan Taylor and the run game getting going against a Bills defense that ranks 26th in yards per carry this season.

3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Colts in Week 10

3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Colts in Week 10

The Buffalo Bills will play the Indianapolis Colts on the road at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 10.

The Bills (7-2) are looking to build on a four-game win streak, the latest being a nail-biter against the Miami Dolphins. The Colts (4-5) are on a two-game losing streak, dropping close games to the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings.

Buffalo is favored by four points in this one but recent history suggests otherwise. The team hasn’t won in Indianapolis since 1999 when Doug Flutie was under center. They have lost in their last six tries.

When the Bills try to end that streak on Sunday, they’ll be going against a very competitive ball club. All nine of the Colts’ games this year have been decided by one score or less.

The Bills will need to execute their game plan to pick up their eighth win of the year.

With that, here are three keys to a Bills win in Week 10:

Limit big runs from Jonathan Taylor

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Many are now doubting the Bills’ ability to stop the run after they were gashed by Dolphins runners De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert. But, even though both averaged over five yards per carry in the game, the Buffalo didn’t allow them to have big runs.

After allowing a run of 20 yards in four of their first six games this year, the Bills haven’t allowed one in their last three games.

Enter Jonathan Taylor. In his one career game vs. the Bills in 2021, he ran for 185 yards and five touchdowns in a Colts blowout win.

After Taylor had a rough outing last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, you know he is looking to get back on track. He will most likely get chunks of yards at times, but if the Bills can make sure none slip away for big gains, it will help their chances on the road.

A balanced attack

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The best teams in the NFL are labeled that way because they can attack you in different ways. The Bills are no exception. They have leaned into a balanced approach under offensive coordinator Joe Brady and they have reaped the benefits.

It is no longer quarterback Josh Allen dropping back and trying to create something for the majority of the time. According to FTN Fantasy, the Bills rank seventh in the NFL in rushing DVOA while ranking third in passing. They are elite in both categories.

The Colts’ defense, on the other hand, is lacking in both categories. They rank 28th in passing DVOA and 17th in rushing. The Bills will have opportunities on offense, but tipping your hand and neglecting either the pass or run would make things more difficult than necessary.

Stay close to Josh Downs

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Joe Flacco loves to throw it to slot receiver Josh Downs. In he four games with Flacco under center, here are Downs’ numbers per game:

  • 9.75 targets
  • 7.5 catches
  • 69.25 receiving yards
  • 0.5 touchdowns

In a run-heavy offense for Indy, Downs has been the most targeted wide receiver on a per-game basis, and he has the most receiving yards per game. He also adds an average of 5.0 yards after the catch, per Fantasy Pros.

It would be a big boost if the Bills’ defense could hold Downs to minimal gains after the catch.

He likes to sit underneath in the holes of defenses, with an average depth of target of 6.6 yards. He’ll be a focal point of the Bills coverage in Week 10, and he draws a tough matchup with Taron Johnson in the slot.

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Bills vs. Colts: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 10

Bills vs. Colts: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 10

The Buffalo Bills (7-2) will face the Indianapolis Colts (4-5) on the road in their upcoming Week 10 matchup.

The games within the game will make all the difference for the Bills as they try to win in Indianapolis for the first time since 1999.

Here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills-Colts contest:

Bills front seven vs. Jonathan Taylor

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The Bills’ front seven has been inconsistent this year in defending the ground game, and they have been under the microscope this week after allowing the Miami Dolphins to run all over them. Running backs De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert each averaged over five yards per carry and combined for 119 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Now, they have Jonathan Taylor to worry about.

Taylor has been one of the best backs in the NFL when healthy since he entered the league. This year he is averaging an impressive 4.8 yards per carry and is 19th in the NFL in rushing yards (502), just ahead of James Cook (496).

The Bills will need execution and effort from their front seven throughout the game to keep Taylor in check. Guys like DaQuan Jones, Ed Oliver, and Greg Rousseau will be counted on to make an impact at the line of scrimmage.

CB Taron Johnson vs. WR Josh Downs

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Slot cornerback Taron Johnson, a second-team All-Pro last year, will be tested by a young up-and-comer in Week 10. Second-year wide receiver Josh Downs operates out of the slot and has quickly gained rapport with quarterback Joe Flacco.

In four games together this year, Downs has averaged 9.75 targets, 7.5 receptions, and 69.25 receiving yards per contest. He has the most catches from Flacco by a decent margin and has been the most-targeted receiver in all four games.

Johnson has a tough task with keeping tabs on Downs and also being ready to head downhill to tackle Taylor in the running game. It’s a tall task but that’s nothing new for one of the best nickel corners in the game.

QB Joe Flacco vs. Bills pass coverage

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We could more widely talk about the playcalling duel between Shane Steichen and Bobby Babich, but let’s zoom in a bit. Flacco vs the Bills’ coverage will be a chess match to watch.

Flacco has been around the block. In his 17th year, he is still proving he can be effective. He has seven touchdowns and two interceptions through four games played, and his 94.5 passer rating ranks 14th in the NFL.

The Bills passing defense struggled against the Dolphins last week as Tua Tagovailoa completed 89% of his passes. The Bills currently rank middle-of-the-pack in passing defense DVOA (15th).

The defense might have a little bit of an easier day if WR Michael Pittman Jr. can’t play due to injury, but what would really help them is having more of a pass rush.

Josh Downs’ second career 100-yard game puts him amongst Week 8 NFL leaders

Josh Downs enjoyed his second career 100-yard game on Sunday afternoon, putting himself amongst the NFL’s weekly leaders.

Eight weeks of the 2024 NFL season have already come and gone – and for one former Tar Heel, he’s having quite the “sophomore year.”

Josh Downs, who played at UNC from 2020-2022, is the guy in question. Downs was a 2-time, First Team All-ACC honoree at North Carolina and finished amongst the program leaders in receiving yards.

Downs, not even two full seasons into his Indianapolis Colts career, continues to show why Indianapolis was wise to take him 79th overall (third round) in the 2023 NFL Draft.

In the Colts’ 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, in a game that could very well go towards deciding the AFC South, Downs caught four passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

What made Downs’ game so special? Besides the fact that it was his second career 100-yard outing, Downs was one of just 16 NFL receivers – in Week 8 – to hit the rare century mark for receiving yards.

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If it weren’t for Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, Downs would undoubtedly be the top guy in Indy. Downs is third on the Colts with 351 receiving yards, plus he’s tied with Pierce for a team-best three receiving touchdowns.

There’s a case quickly being made, though, for Downs being one of the NFL’s best young slot receivers.

As a Tar Heel, Downs achieved another rare distinction of reaching 1,000 receiving yards in consecutive seasons (2019 and 2020). Downs did this while catching passes from two different quarterbacks: Nathan Elliot (2018) and Sam Howell (2019).

Indianapolis is no different for Downs, as he’s catching passes from both Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco. In 2023, Gardner Minshew was throwing passes under center for the Colts.

There’s one constant for Downs, regardless of who’s slinging the football: he’s a key part of the future in Indianapolis.

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Big Sunday has former UNC WR leading Colts, amongst NFL leaders in receptions

Josh Downs scored a touchdown and led the Indianapolis Colts in two separate categories on Sunday. He’s also amongst the NFL’s best in one of those categories.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have always had an electric offense on the football field, particularly in recent years.

One former player who played a huge role in that electricity is wide receiver Josh Downs, who’s now in his second year with the Indianapolis Colts. Downs was the Colts’ third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, a selection that is already paying dividends.

On Sunday, Oct. 13 in a 20-17 win against the Tennessee Titans, Downs caught seven passes for 66 yards and Indianapolis’ first touchdown of the game. Downs’ reception and yardage total led all pass-catchers, which is a microcosm with the season he’s been enjoying.

Through six games, Downs leads his Colts teammates with 27 receptions. Downs’ total also ties him for 11th-most amongst NFL receivers, along with the Atlanta Falcons‘ Darnell Mooney and Green Bay Packers‘ Jayden Reed.

Not even two full seasons into his NFL career, Downs has over 1,000 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

What makes Downs’ start to his NFL career even more impressive is that he’s caught passes from three different quarterbacks: fellow 2023 draftee Anthony Richardson, journeyman Gardner Minshew and former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco. Having one quarterback allows pass-catchers to develop chemistry and comfortability, but Downs is proving he can produce with anyone.

Downs forms one of the NFL’s best young receiver trios, alongside Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce. Pittman played his college ball at USC, while Pierce played at Cincinnati.

It’s always great to see Tar Heels thrive at the next level. Downs is the latest example of that.

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Indianapolis Colts injury update: WR Josh Downs will be active vs. Titans

A big boost for the Colts offense with WR Josh Downs active for Sunday’s game against the Titans.

Some more good news for the Indianapolis Colts, with wide receiver Josh Downs active for Sunday’s Week 6 game against the Tennessee Titans.

Downs was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report after dealing with a toe injury this week that popped up in the Week 5 Jacksonville game, according to Nate Atkins of the Indy Star.

Downs did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday but was a full participant in Friday’s practicing–providing added hope that he would be able to play in this divisional matchup.

Downs missed the first two games of the season working through a high-ankle sprain, but over these last two games in particular, he’s become the focal point of the Colts’ passing game.

Providing some much-needed stability to the Colts’ short to intermediate passing games–which have been quite inconsistent this season–Downs has caught 17-of-21 passes during this two game span, with 151 yards and a touchdown.

In that stretch, Downs ranks first on the team in targets and receptions and is second in yards. League-wide, Downs is tied for first in targets from the slot, he’s first in receptions, and second in yards, according to Pro Football Focus.

Downs’ availability obviously provides a big boost for the offense. Before suffering the ankle injury in training camp, he was a favorite target of Anthony Richardson’s in those practices.

He very much looks poised to make that Year 2 jump that so many successful NFL players make.

Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs questionable vs. Titans

Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs returned to practice on Friday and is listed as questionable for the team’s game vs. the Titans.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs will be listed as questionable for the team’s Week 6 divisional matchup with the Tennessee Titans, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Downs has been on the injury report this week with a toe injury. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday but was on the field in a full capacity on Friday, which is a good sign.

Downs played 43 snaps this past Sunday in Jacksonville, and developed the injury in that game, according to the Indy Star’s Nate Atkins.

Prior to sustaining the high ankle sprain early on in training camp, Downs was off to a very fast start in those opening practices–appearing poised for that Year 2 jump that so many successful NFL players make.

Over the last two weeks, Downs has again been that high-impact player, emerging as a go-to target for Joe Flacco. During that span, Downs leads the team in targets (21) and receptions (17) and has totaled 151 yards with a score.

And of those 17 receptions, 11 have gone for a first down–an important element for a Colts’ offense that has struggled to sustain drives this season.

The Colts have already ruled Jonathan Taylor out for this game and Michael Pittman’s status remains unknown. Having Downs in the mix is always important to the offense’s success but becomes even more vital given the injuries elsewhere.

The Colts passing game will be up against a Titans’ secondary that is allowing just 5.0 yards per pass attempt this season–the second-lowest rate in football, along with being one of the better units at preventing the explosive pass play.

ESPN makes new bold prediction for Colts, featuring WR Josh Downs

ESPN’s Seth Walder has revised his preseason bold prediction for the Colts and come up with a new one that features WR Josh Downs.

Before the 2024 NFL season began, ESPN’s Seth Walder made a bold prediction for each team, including the Indianapolis Colts.

Now roughly one-third of the way through the season, Walder has gone back and either revised those predictions if needed or determined that he’s going to ride out the rest of the season with his original prediction.

For the Colts, Walder came into the season predicting that Kwity Paye and Laiatu Latu would combine for 20-plus sacks this season. However, with Paye missing time, the two are currently at just 1.5 sacks.

So Walder is scrapping that one and moving on to something new.

Now Walder’s bold prediction for the Colts is that Josh Downs will have 1,000 receiving yards even with missing the first two games of the season.

Here is a snippet of what Walder had to say:

“Downs had a large enough sample to debut on the Receiver Scores leaderboard this week, and he came in with an 82 open score after having 26 targets in three games.”

Over the last two games in particular, Downs has been a go-to target for Joe Flacco. In that stretch, he’s been targeted 21 times, catching 17 of those passes for 151 yards and a touchdown–leading the team in both targets and receptions.

On the season, Downs has 173 receiving yards. To get to the 1,000 yard mark, he has to average 69 receiving yards per game for the rest of the year. A very doable number.

Downs is currently on the Colts’ injury report ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. He did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday as he works through a toe injury.

Two former UNC football stars explode in NFL’s Week 4

These former Heels went off at the professional level yesterday.

Despite UNC football having a horrendous weekend losing a 20-point lead against Duke on the road to losing 21-20, two former Tar Heels who are now playing at the next level had great games for their respective teams.

Javonte Williams has had a mediocre season, to say the least, through the first three weeks for the Denver Broncos. However, last week, he ran like the Williams we saw dawning the baby blue in Chapel Hill.

Williams took 16 carries for 77 yards on the ground, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He also caught two of his three targets for three yards. In a game that saw Denver put up just 10 points, he was the bright spot.

The other Tar Heels that shined was former receiver Josh Downs. Down was injured to start the season up to Week 3 when he made his sophomore debut for the Indianapolis Colts. However, in Week 4, we saw what the receiver is made of.

Despite going from Anthony Richardson to Joe Flacco in the middle of the game, Downs totaled eight receptions on nine targets for 82 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He averaged 10.3 yards per reception.

The current Heels might not be finding a ton of success currently, but the former ones are at the next level.

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Colts WR Josh Downs will make debut vs. Bears, adding needed boost to pass game

Colts wide receiver Josh Downs will make his 2024 debut on Sunday against the Bears, providing the passing game with needed stability.

Indianapolis Colts’ second-year receiver Josh Downs will make his 2024 debut against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

After being sidelined with a high-ankle sprain that he suffered back on August 7th, Downs was a full participant in all three practices this week and does not have an injury designation.

The return of Downs to the offense will provide some much-needed stability for the Colts short to intermediate passing game–an area that has been lacking in consistency through the first two games.

The Colts’ ability to move the ball has been very boom or bust. Either Anthony Richardson has connected on a big play or there’s been little success in moving the ball. Not helping things is the inconsistent play from the receivers who have been on the field.

Indianapolis has been getting crushed in the time of possession battle. In part, that’s because their defense can’t stop the run, but also contributing is the offense’s inability to sustain drives.

Downs is coming off a very good rookie season and one that GM Chris Ballard believes flew under the radar. Downs caught 72 percent of his passes for 771 yards–the second-most on the team–and two scores.

Among all wide receivers, he totaled the seventh-most yards from the slot. Downs also led the Colts in missed tackles and average YAC, along with picking up 30 first downs and having 10 receptions of 20-plus yards.

As good as that first season was, oftentimes it is in a player’s second year where they make the biggest developmental leap. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including the familiarity of being in the same system for a full year and the added comfort a year of experience at the NFL level can provide.

Prior to Downs’ injury, he appeared poised to make that big jump. Downs quickly emerged as a go-to target of Richardson’s in the early training camp practices, with the two having developed a very strong rapport, despite not having a ton of live reps together.

This week, the Colts will be up against a Bears defense that has done well at eliminating the explosive pass play. Moving the ball and putting up points likely has to come from sustaining drives.

Coming into the season, it was known that Richardson was going to go through growing pains as he gained more experience. But the thought was that there was enough help around him so that he wouldn’t have to routinely shoulder the workload.

However, that hasn’t been the case through two games. Getting Downs back in the mix should provide a massive boost for Richardson and the offense.