Thumbs up/down: In praise of the Colts' offensive line
HOUSTON – Here is the best and worst of the Indianapolis Colts’ 27-20 win over the Houston Texans on Thursday night:
THUMBS UP
>> Offensive line: If we’ve learned anything from watching the Colts play the Texans in recent seasons, it is that the Colts have had few answers for containing Houston defensive end J.J. Watt. He has been a constant nuisance, notching 13 tackles, four sacks and a fumble return for a touchdown in just his previous two games against the Colts.
But on Thursday night, the Colts basically neutralized the best defensive player on the planet. Watt had two tackle assists and a quarterback hit to his name. That’s it. Not one game-changing play. Not a single highlight-worthy moment.
It was certainly a group effort, the Colts double-teaming Watt throughout. Tight end Dwayne Allen played a big role here, too. But what’s also important to note is that no other Texans defenders were able to exploit the Colts’ offensive front despite the extra resources dedicated to Watt. That’s a confirmation that the offensive line won its man-to-man matchups, and it’s a great sign given the unsightly mess this line was just a few short weeks ago.
If this offensive line really comes together, the Colts will have solved one of their greatest ills.
>> Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton: He gets his share of blame for the struggles of the Colts offense, but Hamilton was absolutely masterful Thursday in calling his best game of the season. He played to backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s strengths and stymied the Houston pass rush with quick rollout throws and a moving passing pocket. This was also the Colts’ best game in terms of play-action passing, and running back Frank Gore’s emergence gives the Colts a chance to make that a legitimate weapon. Finally, Hamilton and Hasselbeck get credit for involving veteran receiver Andre Johnson. He has clearly struggled in recent games, but the fact that he wasn’t a primary option in the passing game was a big variable in his lack of production. Getting him involved only makes the offense more potent and less predictable.
>> Run defense: For all the Colts’ issues in defending the deep ball Thursday night, they effectively shut down the Houston running game – Arian Foster and all. The Colts registered five tackles for losses and limited Foster to 41 yards on 19 attempts (2.2 yards per carry). Taking away quarterback Brian Hoyer’s 14-yard scramble, the Colts allowed just 68 rushing yards from Texans backs. That’s winning football, especially for a team that last season was among the worst in football against the run.
Can this carry over into next week’s New England game, considering the Patriots have rushed for about 47,000 yards against the Colts in recent meetings? We shall see.
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THUMBS DOWN
>> CB Greg Toler: Let’s state an important fact up front. Toler was playing his first game of the season, and he was clearly rusty. He’d missed the first four games with a neck injury and wasn’t cleared to return until recent days. So, he was biting off a lot when you consider he was out for six weeks.
But that has absolutely, positively nothing to do with his inability to find the football on the Texans’ desperate Hail Mary pass attempt on the final play of the first half. Toler, at one point before the ball arrived, literally had his back turned when rookie wide receiver Jaelen Strong leaped high to haul in a 42-yard touchdown. Toler was not alone in failing to do anything, whatsoever, to prevent this. No fewer than five Colts defenders were within shouting distance of Strong, and none made a half-decent effort to knock the ball down.
But Toler had a particularly rough night. The Colts, unable to have No. 1 cornerback Vontae Davis shadow Texans star wideout DeAndre Hopkins because of Davis’ foot injury, had to rely on Toler whenever Hopkins lined up on the defense’s left. The results weren’t good. Hopkins torched Toler, finishing with 11 catches for 169 yards. Not all of those were caught against Toler, but several long completions were. The Colts have been awaiting Toler’s return for quite some time because his absence greatly affected their defensive play calling. But he’ll need to return to form if the Colts are really going to benefit from having him on the field.
>> Pass rush: The Colts have been lacking in this area in pretty much every game this season, but the absence of a pass rush on Thursday was quite conspicuous. While Toler earned the distinction above, part of the secondary’s struggles stemmed from the fact that Houston quarterbacks Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer had entirely too much time to find their targets. This undermined what was largely a solid game for the Indianapolis defense. And this problem isn’t likely to be solved next week, either. The Colts face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, and Brady’s uncanny ability to quickly find receivers after the snap will make generating a pass rush even more difficult.