Tag: Kenny Moore II

Studs and duds from Colts’ 25-16 loss to Titans

Studs and duds from the Colts’ 25-16 loss to the Titans.

The Indianapolis Colts (0-3) came into Sunday needing a win in an important division game on the road. Unfortunately, they could not get that done falling 25-16 to the Tennessee Titans (2-1) and have lost the first three games of the season for the first time in 10 years.

There are many factors at play in why the Colts came up short in this game. However, one of the biggest may be a failure to stop or even slow down Titans star running back Derrick Henry who piled up 113 yards on the ground, and the offense’s absolute inability to capitalize off of the turnovers the defense did manage to create.

Here we’ll take a look at some of the studs and duds from a very deflating Week 3 loss.

Colts’ Kenny Moore injured in practice, to be further evaluated

Colts CB Kenny Moore to be further evaluated for an injury he suffered in Monday’s practice.

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II suffered an apparent non-contact injury during Monday’s practice but was able to return shortly after.

Head coach Frank Reich told the media following Monday’s practice that he doesn’t believe it to be anything significant. However, the team is still conducting further evaluations to ensure Moore is healthy.

At one point during practice, Moore went down with an injury. It isn’t clear what happened. He walked off the practice field under his own power with the training staff.

He then returned for team sessions during practice, which is an encouraging sign that he avoided anything serious.

This will certainly be something to monitor as the week progresses, especially with the Colts now required to give injury reports during the week.

The opening week of the season is here for the Colts, and this will be an injury worth monitoring when the Seattle Seahawks come to town.

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Colts’ Kenny Moore ranked 3rd among slot defenders

Kenny Moore gets high praise from Touchdown Wire.

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore was ranked third among slot defenders in the NFL entering the 2021 season by Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire.

The only two defenders ranked ahead of Moore on the list were Tyrann Mathieu of the Kansas City Chiefs and Bryce Callahan of the Denver Broncos.

“Moore was an undrafted free agent out of Valdosta State who made the Colts’ roster in 2017, and has shown himself to be more and more of an asset in coverage since. In 2020, he added great value to Matt Eberflus’ defense as the team’s primary slot defender, allowing 50 slot receptions on 66 targets for 463 yards, 259 yards after the catch, one touchdown, three interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 80.6. Moore has the ability to follow any receiver all over the field — even gigantic receivers like Raiders tight end Darren Waller on this end zone interception, where Moore fakes Derek Carr out of a potential touchdown.”

Moore has been one of the best and most versatile pieces of the defense since he broke out during the 2018 season. The Colts got some flashes of what he could do late in 2017 after they had claimed him from the waiver wire that preseason.

Moore can do it all. Whether he’s in man, zone or press coverage, Moore’s length and athleticism allow him to stay with any type of pass-catcher. On top of that, he’s extremely well-equipped to handle the ball in the air.

Moore is also one of the best tacklers in the NFL, which is an underrated part of the scheme that Matt Eberflus runs for the Colts.

Moore is a fan favorite for the Colts and one of the most reliable players on the defense. Good thing he’s likely to be around for a very long time.

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PFF ranks Colts’ Kenny Moore as NFL’s top slot CB

PFF gives Kenny Moore some high praise.

Pro Football Focus listed Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II as the best slot cornerback in the NFL entering the 2021 season.

You’ll notice that many of the top slot cornerbacks in the NFL were passed over in the draft before going on to have success. Moore is one such player. He was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots in 2017, only to be cut before making the final roster. Moore landed with the Colts off waivers and has since carved out a valuable role for himself on Indianapolis’ defense.

Since moving to a primary slot role in 2018, Moore has earned a 90.0 run-defense grade and 86.3 coverage grade when lined up inside. He brings both the physicality and knack for making plays necessary to excel in the slot. That has allowed Moore to be one of the 15 most valuable cornerbacks in the entire league over the last three years, according to PFF’s Wins Above Replacement metric.

Moore has been the Swiss-army knife of the Colts defense for years. He works mostly out of the slot while also providing strong run defense and the occasional blitz from the nickel spot.

While linebacker Darius Leonard and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner rightfully get most of the credit on the defense, Moore remains the team’s secret weapon.

Despite re-signing Xavier Rhodes to a one-year deal this offseason, Moore is the leader of the secondary as it’s longest-tenured player.

So while most of the national media sleeps on Moore, he finally gets some of the top recognition he deserves from PFF.

Colts defeat Raiders, 44-27: The good, the bad and the ugly

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly from Week 14.

The Indianapolis Colts (9-4) continued playing winning football with a 44-27 dominating win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

A second-half surge helped the Colts put the game away while all three phases played a part in the win. The defense came away with some timely turnovers while the offense was clicking on all cylinders.

Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the Week 14 win:

The Good

RB Jonathan Taylor: The rookie is taking over the backfield. He had 20 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns on the day, including a 62-yard scamper that showed off his ridiculous speed.

WR T.Y. Hilton: The Ghost is officially on fire as Hilton recorded his first multi-score game since Week 1 of the 2019 season. It’s fun seeing him thrive again.

Offensive Line: Whew boy. The Colts dominated this side of the ball. They allowed just one quarterback hit and the offense rushed for 215 yards. Not much to complain about there.

QB Philip Rivers: Quietly, Rivers is putting together a spectacular season. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 244 yards, two touchdowns and a 118.8 passer rating.

CB Kenny Moore II: Outside of allowing the touchdown to Foster Moreau, Moore was exceptional. He had the sick one-handed interception in the first half and the clutch forced fumble in the second half to help seal the win.

Third Down Offense: The Colts were 8 of 11 on third downs throughout the day, good for a 73% conversion rate.

The Bad

Third Down Defense: While the Colts offense found ways to stay on the field, the defense could find ways to get stops on third down. They allowed the Raiders offense to go 8 of 12 (67%) on third downs.

Red Zone offense: The Colts need to get better in this area. They were 2 of 5 in the red zone and even though they did come away with points with every trip, finishing drives with six points must become a more consistent occurrence.

The Ugly

Pass Rush: It was a rough day for the pass rush. They totaled just 11 pressures on the day, per Pro Football Focus, and hit Derek Carr just twice.

S Julian Blackmon: It wasn’t the best outing for the rookie. He was credited with two missed tackles, one of which led to a touchdown. His angles in pursuit weren’t the sharpest either.

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WATCH: Colts’ Kenny Moore makes ridiculous one-handed INT grab

Kenny Moore can do it all.

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore got beat in coverage for a touchdown during the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders and made sure he made up for it.

With the Raiders driving down the field, Derek Carr lofted a ball in the back of the end zone to Darren Waller. Moore came down with a ridiculous one-handed interception.

Rewatch it over and over again:

Colts’ Kenny Moore (groin) returning to practice

Kenny Moore is back.

As the Indianapolis Colts wrap up training camp, they will see the return of cornerback Kenny Moore at practice on Monday, per head coach Frank Reich.

Moore has been out for the last two weeks with a groin injury he suffered early on in camp. The Colts were cautious with their best cornerback as to not have him suffer a setback and will see his return on Monday.

Reich also said wide receivers Zach Pascal (hamstring) and Marcus Johnson will return on Monday on a limited basis.

The Colts are waiting to see how Trey Burton’s calf injury will develop this week after he suffered the injury during the team’s final scrimmage on Saturday.

Getting Moore back is a huge bump for the Colts secondary. He’s their best cornerback and is arguably the most versatile piece in the entire defense. With so many questions in the secondary, getting its leader back is crucial with Week 1 just around the corner.

Colts’ Kenny Moore (groin) expected to miss at least a week

Colts will be without their best CB for at least a week.

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II suffered a groin injury during the team’s first padded practice on Monday and is expected to miss at least a week.

The Colts don’t want to push Moore to return for training camp before he’s ready and thus leading to a setback that would compromise his ability to start the regular season

While there isn’t an official timetable, head coach Frank Reich told reporters Tuesday that Moore will be held out of practice for at least a week.

“Kenny (Moore II) strained his groin and he’ll probably be out at least a week,” Reich said.

Soft tissue injuries can be dangerous if not treated correctly at this time of year. So far the injury with T.Y. Hilton hasn’t been an issue so the Colts will want to take the same precautions with Moore.

We saw just how badly the defense can crumble without the versatile slot cornerback. Down the home stretch of the 2019 season, Moore was dealing with an ankle injury, and the defense suffered greatly.

The Colts are likely to re-evaluate Moore’s status in a week, but this will certainly be a situation to monitor.

NFL.com lists secondary as Colts biggest weakness

There are some concerns in the back end of the defense.

The Indianapolis Colts spent some of the offseason making changes and additions to the secondary, but it seems there is still some concern as to what the unit will bring in 2020.

Though the Colts will see the return of starters Rock Ya-Sin and Kenny Moore II, there are many question marks facing the secondary as a whole entering training camp.

In their AFC South training camp preview, NFL.com listed the secondary as the team’s biggest weakness.

The Colts went 1-5 over the last six weeks of the 2019 season and missed the playoffs as a result. The inability to stop the pass was a glaring problem down the stretch. GM Chris Ballard hopes a change of scenery will revitalize Xavier Rhodes, a former All-Pro who’s struggled the past two seasons. The Colts also signed veteran T.J. Carrie, who should make up for Pierre Desir’s absence. Kenny Moore and Rock Ya-Sin round out the main corps, but the secondary issues aren’t limited to the cornerbacks. Safeties Malik Hooker and Khari Willis have been established starters but struggle with consistency. Yet, there is one X-factor that could change the overall perception of a squad with talent …

That X-factor they are referring to is defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and while he doesn’t play in the secondary, his addition could increase the production of the secondary if the pass rush takes a step forward.

But back to the secondary. There are legitimate concerns about the depth of the back end of the defense. Of course, there is promise with the developments of second-year cornerbacks Ya-Sin and Marvell Tell while Willis and third-round pick Julian Blackmon have optimistic outlooks as well.

But can Rhodes bounce back and return to form after an ugly 2019 season in which he was released by the Vikings, the only team he’s ever played for? Is Hooker’s future with the Colts done after this season after struggling with injuries and failing to live up to the playmaking expectations bestowed upon him as a first-round pick? Is there enough depth in the secondary to withstand injuries?

These are all legitimate concerns that the Colts face in the secondary. There is still plenty of promise throughout the unit, but it’s a unit that has a lot to prove if and when the 2020 season gets underway.

The 5 most underrated Colts players

These Colts deserve more recognition.

The Indianapolis Colts have slowly but surely built the roster from the ground up since Chris Ballard took over as general manager of the front office and now they sport a deep roster with talent throughout.

Being in the Indianapolis market and seeing one prime-time game here and there, several of the players on the roster fly under the national radar. Even if they aren’t getting recognition from the national media, some Colts deserve a bit more attention.

Here are the five most underrated Colts entering the 2020 season:

Kenny Moore II | CB | Age: 24

While the fanbase certainly understands how good Moore is at playing the game of football, the national media has yet to catch on. Moore has emerged as one of the top slot cornerbacks in the NFL over the last few seasons and even received an extension that reflects that.

Despite his smaller stature, Moore has the length and athleticism to make plays on the ball constantly. He can work in zone, man and press coverage while being one of the surest tacklers at the position. The Valdosta State product can also apply pressure by blitzing from the nickel spot, making him an invaluable piece of the defense.

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