Studs and duds from Colts’ 2019 season

Who stood out in 2019?

The Indianapolis Colts officially finished the 2019 season with a losing record and in third place in the AFC South. Before looking too much ahead to the offseason, we have to look back at what the season was.

Taking a look at the whole season, we must examine some of the players that stood out—both in a good way and in a bad way. Now, we see who were the biggest studs and the biggest duds from the 2019 season for the Colts:

STUD: RB Marlon Mack

Even with missing two games due to a broken hand, Mack was electric all season. Though he didn’t see a ton of work in the passing game, Mack joined the list of Colts running backs to finish with more than 1,000 rushing yards. He’s the ninth running back in Colts history to do so and it was the 21st time in franchise history a season ended with a 1,000-yard rusher.

Mack finished the season with 247 carries for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 77.9 rushing yards per game. With a commitment to the run, Mack truly thrived behind the Colts’ elite offensive line.

If Mack can put a full season together in 2020, there’s a chance he gets his first Pro Bowl.

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Colts vs. Jaguars: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 17

Key matchups to watch in Week 17.

To finish off their regular season, the Indianapolis Colts will head south and play in one last divisional matchup vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even with their playoff hopes ended after Week 15, it didn’t stop the Colts from quickly coming out of the gates and dominating the Carolina Panthers in their 38-6 win last Sunday.

Whether it was Nyheim Hines having an all-time performance as a punt returner or the defense having their best success in several weeks, the Colts are looking to bring those factors and then some down to Jacksonville for their final game in 2019.

Here are three key matchups to watch in the Colts’ Week 17 bout:

RB Leonard Fournette vs. Colts’ defensive front seven

As I mentioned in this same piece in Week 11, when these two teams faced off, the Colts would have to put a lot of emphasis on defending running back Leonard Fournette. The LSU product has been the Jaguars’ best offensive player this season and is currently seventh in rushing yards (1,152).

But even with the fact, the Colts successfully contained Fournette in their first matchup (eight carries for 23 rushing yards), it doesn’t mean the Jags could allow that to happen again. Ever since the total number of Fournette’s carries have lowered since Week 11, the Jaguars are 1-4 and struggling to generate much offensive success.

So with an increased chance of Fournette getting much action on Sunday, the Colts’ defensive front seven needs to quickly contain him in order to greater pressure on rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

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Watch: Panthers DT Vernon Butler apologizes for his actions

To his credit, Butler apologized for his actions after the game.

The Panthers were dominated by the Colts in all three phases in today’s 38-6 loss, their seventh in a row. They also did plenty of damage to their own cause, including a tempter tantrum by defensive tackle Vernon Butler in the third quarter. Butler threw a bunch at tight end Jack Doyle and flipped fans off on his way out after getting ejected.

To his credit, Butler apologized for his actions after the game.

Vernon Butler apologizes, takes full responsibility for his punch and for flipping the bird at fans. pic.twitter.com/n6XbgNKZeG

— Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) December 22, 2019

Butler is playing in the last year of his rookie contract. It will be difficult to justify giving him an extension given the way he’s conducted himself.

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Who are the most disappointing Colts of 2019?

These Colts failed to live up to expectations.

Now that the 2019 Indianapolis Colts’ season is coming to a close it’s time to evaluate the roster. It’s time to take a look at some guys who played above expectations and those who were a major disappointment this season.

With the Colts’ season spiraling out of control, losing six of their last seven, it’s only appropriate to look at the players who failed to live up to the expectations during the 2019 campaign.

Here are the three most disappointing Colts from this season:

TE Eric Ebron

In 2018, Ebron had his best season in terms of catches, yards and touchdowns in what was his first season in Indianapolis. Before the stunning retirement of Andrew Luck, Ebron said he wanted to break the record for most touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history, which was set by Rob Gronkowski in 2011 with 17.

After the retirement of Luck, it was all-but-certain that Ebron’s numbers would take a hit with Jacoby Brissett taking over as the QB, but nobody expected a fall as hard as Ebron had.

In just 11 games, Ebron had 31 catches (on 51 targets), 375 yards and three touchdowns. All would be second-lowest in his career and after having ankle surgery after the Houston Texans game in Week 12, Ebron was forced to shut it down for the rest of the season.

Coming into a contract year, Ebron needed to not duplicate what he did in 2018 but just be consistent, and he wasn’t. What Ebron did this season was a major disappointment, especially due to the fact that the Colts lacked playmaking from their pass-catchers.

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5 Colts that must step up in final 5 games

These Colts must step up over the final games.

The Indianapolis Colts are in the heart of the AFC playoff race with just five games remaining and while there are some that have carried the team, there are others that need to step it up over the next month.

Some players may need to simply add a little bit more to what they were already doing. Others may need to improve their game greatly in order for the Colts to have a chance in the next five games.

Here are five Colts that must step up in the final five games:

QB Jacoby Brissett

With flashes of brilliance and confusing struggles alike, Brissett has to improve his game over the next month. The Colts’ passing attack has been almost non-existent in recent games and even though the offense revolves around the run, they have to be able to hit big plays in the passing game.

The lack of chunk plays this season has been a big reason why the Colts haven’t been able to win by more than one score. While it isn’t all on Brissett, he does deserve some of the blame. Despite having the tools to hit on deep balls, Brissett doesn’t seem as comfortable taking chances in tight windows.

Maybe Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni prefer him to take the more high-percentage throws, but he needs to be able to move the offense down the field at a higher rate than what has been happening lately.

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Stock up, stock down in Colts’ loss to Dolphins

Stock report following the Colts’ loss in Week 10.

The Indianapolis Colts (5-4) have to take a long look in the mirror following the embarrassing 16-12 loss they suffered at home against the Miami Dolphins (2-7) on Sunday.

Even though they were without a few starters, there is no excuse for losing to a team like the Dolphins—especially if the Colts are supposed to be considered a team bound for the playoffs.

Here’s a look at the stock report in the Week 10 loss:

Stock Up: LB Darius Leonard

The All-Pro linebacker hasn’t quite lived up to expectations this season and while he’s also dealt with some injuries, it was nice to see him return to his elite form. No one is doubting the impact Leonard has on a weekly basis, but this was truly his best game of the season.

The former second-round pick started off the game hot by punching out a fumble against Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki. He also added a sack, two tackles for loss, two passes defended and a crucial interception in the fourth quarter.

The Colts have a massive stretch of games coming up, and they will need Leonard to play like this for the second half.

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