Throughout the first half of the season, the Indianapolis Colts have seen some pleasantly surprising production from their secondary, especially when it comes to cornerback Xavier Rhodes and safety Julian Blackmon.
Rhodes, who is enjoying a strong bounce-back campaign, has emerged as a reliable piece in the secondary. Blackmon, a rookie third-round pick, has burst onto the scene as the replacement for Malik Hooker.
Both players were listed as a part of Doug Farrar’s most underrated defenders in 2020 over at Touchdown Wire. Here’s what he had to say about both:
Rhodes: “Sometimes, all it takes for a player to hit the restart button is a new opportunity with a new team. That certainly appears to be the case for Rhodes, who was one of the NFL’s worst cornerbacks 2019, his final year with the Vikings — he gave up 66 catches on 79 targets for 822 yards, 233 yards after the catch, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and an opponent quarterback rating of 131.1.
What a difference a new defense makes. This season, and perhaps it’s because he’s playing in more zone looks — Rhodes has allowed just 16 catches on 37 targets for 275 yards, 63 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two picks, and an opponent quarterback rating of 64.6, Rhodes is a high-variance player, but at least there’s variance this season, as opposed to last year’s disaster.”
Blackmon: “Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus likes to call a lot of Cover-2, and with super-safety Malik Hooker out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon, Blackmon — a third-round rookie from Utah — has been a primary reason Eberflus can still dial those schemes up with abandon. The Colts have not allowed a touchdown pass in 42 dropbacks in Cover-2 and 2-Man, and Blackmon has allowed just two catches on six targets this season for 39 yards, minus-1 yard after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 17.4. A converted cornerback, Blackmon has helped Indy’s defense stay at or near the top of the charts all season.”
While the secondary was a question mark entering the 2020 season, some of those questions have been answered. It still remains a need ahead of the upcoming offseason, but there is a bit more stability in the room thanks to the play of Rhodes and Blackmon.
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