Colts thumbs up/down: Donte Moncrief emerges
Here is the best and worst of the Indianapolis Colts’ 25-12 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
THUMBS UP
>> WR Donte Moncrief: The Colts do not excel in the area of yards after the catch. It’s something few of their passing targets seem to actually generate. But Moncrief has shown he possesses the ability to pick up key yards in key situations. This is evidenced by the fact that each of his eight catches on Sunday generated a first down — whether or not he was at the first-down marker when making the reception.
Moncrief’s growth this season has been one of the highlights for the 2015 Colts, and he has continued to reward coaches for giving him a bigger role in the offense over the course of the season. His eight catches were a career high, and his 114 receiving yards represented his fourth 100-yard game this season.
>> LB Erik Walden: The Colts’ nonexistent pass rush in the first half was alarming, with Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston able to comfortably sit in the pocket and fire downfield to his pair of 6-5 receivers (Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans). But Walden helped spearhead a second-half pass-rush effort that was well overdue. He finished with a pair of sacks, one where he impressively corralled Winston from behind and another when he boxed him in as he was looking to escape oncoming rushers.
The Colts would net five sacks on the day, a notable figure for a team that ranks 26th in sacks. But Walden’s feats extended beyond his pass rush. He registered two tackles for losses and four total tackles. And this came after a week in which Walden was limited by a heel injury that kept him out of practice just days ago.
>> K Adam Vinatieri: He missed an extra point, something that for Vinatieri, passes for big news. But the Colts would have had a much harder time Sunday without Vinatieri’s contributions. He nailed four field goals, converting from 49, 27, 26 and 44 yards. After a slow start — Vinatieri began the season 0-for-2 on field goals — he now has hit 16 consecutive attempts dating to Week 4. Sunday’s game was the 19th of Vinatieri’s career with four or more field goals.
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THUMBS DOWN
>> Run blocking: There was an obvious frustration from running back Frank Gore after Sunday’s game, a result of his inability to get going (he had 24 yards on 19 carries). But maybe Gore should be cut some slack for his ugly day. For one, the Buccaneers’ entire game plan was devised around the idea of stopping the run, which they did. But even so, Gore got little help from the Colts’ stripped-down offensive line, one that was missing starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo and had rookie Denzelle Good making his NFL debut at right tackle.
That the run blocking was subpar is not stunning under the circumstances. But the Colts have to show they can run the ball when they need to, as they won’t always have similar success on days when their offense is as one-dimensional as it was on Sunday.
>> Return game: One week after looking like a revelation, return man Quan Bray had a tough day. Bray had three kick returns that ended up falling short of the 20-yard line, something that significantly contributed to the Colts’ lack of solid field position in the first half. The Colts’ average starting field position on their first four possessions (each of which began with Bray kickoff returns) was the 18-yard line.
