Tag: Tyquan Lewis

Philip Rivers’ start in Indianapolis and other questions for Colts Wire in Week 9

The Baltimore Ravens are on a road trip for Week 9, traveling to Indianapolis to take on the Colts. Indianapolis sits at 5-2, just like Baltimore, and both teams are in the thick of the AFC playoff picture right now. Where there are some …

The Baltimore Ravens are on a road trip for Week 9, traveling to Indianapolis to take on the Colts. Indianapolis sits at 5-2, just like Baltimore, and both teams are in the thick of the AFC playoff picture right now.

Where there are some similarities, these two teams look nothing like what the other side remembers. The last time these two teams squared off, things were dramatically different. Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco were the guys under center and Chuck Pagano was the Colts’ coach at the time.

With so much having changed on both teams, I wanted to get the inside scoop about how Indianapolis was faring this season. So, I turned to Colts Wire managing editor Kevin Hickey to answer some of my questions ahead of this week’s game. Below are the questions I asked and his responses.

4 ‘close contact’ Colts return to practice on Friday

Colts dodge a bullet on the COVID-19 front.

After the Indianapolis Colts learned of a staff member testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, four players were considered to be “close contacts” and had to sit out the walkthrough until they tested negative for the virus.

It seems all is well on that front as the four players who were deemed close contacts via contact tracing will be returning to practice on Friday. This means all four players have passed additional testing without any issues.

The four players considered close contacts were left guard Quenton Nelson, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and defensive tackles Tyquan Lewis and Sheldon Day.

The Colts seemed to have dodged a bullet on the COVID-19 front. Because these players weren’t considered “high risk close contacts,” they only had to re-test negative for COVID-19. This differs from the situation with the Ravens, who have six players considered high risk. They have to have five consecutive days without testing positive in order to return.

The Colts will be back at practice after conducting a walkthrough on Thursday as they prepare for the Week 9 home matchup against the Ravens.

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4 Colts named close contacts to staffer who tested positive for COVID-19

These Colts are considered close contacts.

The Indianapolis Colts had four players deemed close contacts to the staff member who tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday morning. However, none of the players are considered high-risk so they could be back in the building on Friday.

Those four include defensive tackles Tyquan Lewis and Sheldon Day along with wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and left guard Quenton Nelson.

After the Colts were informed of the staffer testing positive for COVID-19, they decided to do all of their meetings virtually while holding a walkthrough rather than a full practice as they had intended.

Because these four players are not considered “high-risk,” they can enter the building on Friday with a negative test. This is unlike the Ravens situation, who had six players deemed high-risk close contacts, which means they need five consecutive days of negative tests in order to return.

This will be a major situation to monitor entering the weekend and hopefully none of the players come back Friday with a positive test.

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Stock up, stock down from Colts’ 41-21 win over the Lions

Stock report in Week 8.

The Indianapolis Colts (5-2) will be moving on to the most difficult part of their schedule now following the 41-21 win over the Detroit Lions (3-4) on Sunday, which was an encouraging victory on the road.

We saw a bit of a change in the backfield as the Colts rode the hot hand of Jordan Wilkins in the second half, benching rookie Jonathan Taylor. We also saw another strong performance from quarterback Philip Rivers.

As is the case every week, the stock report can fluctuate on a weekly basis. Sometimes it’s a bit reactionary from just the previous week. Other times it can be taking notice of a trend taking place.

Here’s a look at the stock report for the Colts following the Week 8 win:

Studs and duds from Colts’ 41-21 win over the Lions

Studs and duds from Week 8.

The Indianapolis Colts (5-2) came out of the bye week with a 41-21 win over the Detroit Lions (3-4) on Sunday at Ford Field to hold a tie for first place in the division.

The Colts played well in mostly all three phases of the game. From Philip Rivers having another solid day to Jordan Wilkins taking over the backfield due to a struggling Jonathan Taylor.

Here are the studs and duds from the Week 8 win:

Colts vs. Lions game recap: Everything we know from Week 8

Game recap from the Week 8 win.

The Indianapolis Colts (5-2) defeated the Detroit Lions (3-4) on Sunday, 41-21, at Ford Field on Sunday.

Coming out of the bye week, the Colts have now won their second game in a row. Though they fell down early, Indy regained the lead and didn’t look back from midway through the second quarter.

Here’s our game recap from the Week 8 win:

Colts’ Tyquan Lewis gearing up for a bigger role

Tyquan Lewis is headed for a bigger role.

Even though Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Tyquan Lewis was thought to be on the roster bubble before training camp, he’s found himself in a position to see an increased role in the second half of the 2020 season.

The former second-round pick has been flashing throughout the first six weeks of the campaign, albeit in a limited role behind DeForest Buckner and Denico Autry.

But with Lewis’ game coming along, defensive line coach Brian Baker believes the Ohio State product has earned more of a role in what has become a stout defensive front in Indy.

“I think he’s earned the right to do that,” Baker said Wednesday of an increased role. “I think that will help his development, and I think it will help our defense.”

We won’t get to see if this will come to fruition for another week as the Colts enjoy their bye resting up and working on issues for the second half of the season. But Lewis has certainly made a case to be one of the players in line for more snaps.

Lewis has had a modest role in the defensive line rotation. He’s played 86 defensive snaps, which is 23% of the unit’s total snap count through six games. In that, he’s been productive.

Lewis has recorded 1.5 sacks, 2.0 tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. He has five total pressures and four run stops on the season, per Pro Football Focus. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but that is solid for working on less than a quarter of the team’s defensive snaps.

“Even with the among of snaps I get, I don’t count the snaps, I just try to make the snaps count,” Lewis told reporters Tuesday. “Limited snaps shouldn’t matter, you just have to go in and make a difference, just make an impact. Just throwing your fastball – coming into the game and just being prepared, knowing what to do, how to attack. Just going in and knowing your job, doing your job and getting it done.”

The Colts have enjoyed production from the defensive line with Buckner, Autry and Justin Houston paving the way. Lewis has been working all around the front from defensive end to the interior.

It has been somewhat of a rocky road for Lewis, but he seems to be finally catching a groove as a contributor in the defensive line.

One of the storylines to watch coming out of the bye week will be if he can produce even more with an expanded role across the defensive line.

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5 Colts under the most pressure in 2020

These Colts are under a lot of pressure in 2020.

Every season there are new players faced with high amounts of pressure. Whether that is because of contract situation, possibly losing a roster spot, or having high expectations from the front office to succeed.

The Indianapolis Colts as a team are under a lot of pressure to get back to the playoffs, as they’ve missed the playoffs four of the last five seasons. Key additions in the offseason, Philip Rivers, DeForest Buckner, Jonathon Taylor, and Michael Pittman signal the Colts are going for it this season.

Lets take a look at five Colts that are facing the most pressure to succeed in 2020:

QB Philip Rivers

Last season was an abysmal campaign for both Rivers and the Indianapolis passing offense in separate ways. Rivers threw his second-most interceptions in a single season last year with 20, while only throwing 23 touchdowns. The Colts finished 30th in the NFL last year in passing offense.

Both parties will look to turn that around in 2020, with Rivers reuniting with his former offensive coordinator for two seasons in San Diego, Frank Reich.

Indianapolis saw an opportunity to improve at QB this offseason, and they hope they have done that by adding a 38-year old QB in Rivers for $25 million.

After a 7-9 season, and going into December on the doorstep of making the playoffs, Rivers will be facing a lot of pressure to push the Colts from a non-playoff team to a playoff team in 2020.

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Colts DT Tyquan Lewis impressing early at training camp

Tyquan Lewis has come to training camp with a purpose.

There are several players on the Indianapolis Colts roster who are fighting for a roster spot. Defensive tackle Tyquan Lewis may be the biggest name with the most pressure when it comes to camp battles.

After two seasons of dealing with injuries and making little impact, this is a crucial time for Lewis. The former second-round pick is running out of chances to prove he belongs as a piece of the future. But his first three days during the padded practices are showing a different player.

Head coach Frank Reich has certainly taken notice of the emergence of Lewis thus far through the first few days of training camp.

“I think he has definitely set out to prove something. We picked him with a high pick. Every player wants to contribute, every player wants to live up to the expectations. Tyquan’s (Lewis) got great character, he’s got great athleticism and you’re exactly right Phil (Wilson), I mean he has had three really good days,” Reich told reporters Wednesday.

The Colts traded up for Lewis in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent the first half of his rookie season on the injured reserve list due to a toe injury and then recorded 2.0 sacks in the final eight games of the season.

When 2019 rolled around, there were high hopes Lewis would get a bigger role as a pass rusher. However, he wound up playing just 22% of the snaps in nine games without recording a sack.

But Lewis has come to camp with a purpose, and Reich has taken notice simply of how different he looks.

“I mean, he’s looked strong every day in pads. He looks fast and explosive. Physically, he looks better than he’s ever looked since he’s been here. So, very excited about that,” Reich said. “It’s a very short window here and so we all know this is a long haul and he needs to continue to do what’s he’s been doing these three days. If he does, that’s going to be good for him and it’s going to be good for us because he has looked exceptionally good.”

The Colts defensive line might not need to rely on Lewis breaking out as much as they did last year, but it will still be nice to have some young depth on the interior.

If Lewis can stay healthy and begin showing the development as a second-round pick, the front seven will be much better off.

3 Colts with most to prove in training camp

These Colts have something to prove at training camp.

Training camp is where players make their impressions on the coaching staff and make their case on making the Week 1 roster. For the Indianapolis Colts, they have a number of players with something to prove.

This year’s training camp will be a lot more competitive with how different the offseason has been. No OTAs, no mini or rookie camps, and no preseason leave very little reps for players to make their mark.

>>>Observations from Wednesday’s training camp practice<<<

Here are three Colts with the most to prove as the Colts continue to ramp up work in training camp:

QB Jacob Eason

For the fourth-round pick, many would assume Eason would just have a roster spot, but that isn’t the case. Chris Ballard said during the offseason that Eason and Chad Kelly will be in a battle for the third quarterback spot.

Eason was considered to be possibly a late-first, or early second-round pick, but questions about his work ethic, lack of college experience and no real pro day had him fall in the draft.

Ballard hasn’t shied away from cutting draft picks early. He cut Zach Banner after camp the same offseason he drafted Banner in the fourth round. Eason has to put his best foot forward in the limited snaps he gets in camp to get a roster spot.

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