5 Observations from Colts-Texans: Film Room

The Indianapolis Colts start off the 2022 season on a weird note, finishing week one with a tie against the Houston Texans. While this isn't the start that any of us hoped, or expected, it is the team's best record after week one since 2013. So... progress, I guess?

With week one firmly in the books, it is time to go back and look at the film from this past game. This series will be my regular post-game analysis on which players caught my eye and what the team needs to improve upon going forward. So, without further ado, let's jump into some film.

Offensive Player of the Game: Jonathan Taylor

This should come as no surprise to anybody that watched the game live, but running back Jonathan Taylor was by far and away the best player on the Colts this past weekend. He simply shredded the Texans to the tune of 161 yards on 31 carries. He also added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to bring the Colts back in the game.

What stands out even more about this performance from Taylor is how he got his yards. He had 115 yards after contact and forced 10 missed tackles on his 31 carries. He also added some production in the receiving game, hauling four of his six targets through the air.

While the Colts' offense looked out of sync and disorganized for a lot of this game, Taylor maintained his superstar status with a dominant week one performance.

Honorable Mentions: Michael Pittman Jr, Matt Ryan

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) September 13, 2022

Defensive Player of the Game: Grover Stewart

Grover the Destroyer came to play this past Sunday. The Texans came into this game having marginal success against the Colts on the ground back in 2021. Stewart was a big reason why that success didn't carry over to this week one match-up in 2022.

Stewart finished this game with four run stops, two tackles for a loss, and a QB hit. The Texans only managed to rush for 73 yards on 25 carries on Sunday, which was good for just 2.92 yards per attempt. Stewart was simply ferocious on the interior and he shut down a majority of the Texans' run game.

It is finally time that we start talking about Stewart as being in the upper echelon of 1-T/0-T defensive tackles in the league. He is a powerful and agile interior player that just produces each and every week.

Honorable Mentions: Stephon Gilmore, Kwity Paye

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) September 13, 2022

Digging The New Offense

One thing that was sorely lacking in the Colts' offense last season was the intermediate game over the middle of the field. This was mainly due to former QB Carson Wentz's preference for outside the numbers throws. Matt Ryan, however, prefers to attack the middle of the field.

The route that the Colts had the most success with on Sunday was the intermediate dig. A dig route is a standard 10-15 yard in route over the middle of the field. The Colts were able to hit quite a few chunk plays with this route against the Texans, especially off of play-action.

I highly anticipate the Colts to continue to pepper the middle of the field with Matt Ryan as the quarterback. It worked to the tune of 352 yards passing this past Sunday, so it is safe to say that similar plays are to his liking.

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) September 13, 2022

Biggest Offensive Concern: Braden Smith

This was just a dreadful outing for the Colts' right tackle on Sunday. He struggled to keep up with the speed of the Texans' rushers, and veteran Jerry Hughes had his way with him all game long.

The Colts' offense line in general took a big step back a season ago, and Smith was certainly a part of that. Kicking off the 2022 season with a dud of a performance is not a great sign at all. He finished this game allowing four total pressures-- including a sack/fumble in the second quarter.

Smith desperately needs to bounce back in week two against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) September 13, 2022

Biggest Defensive Concern: Match Concepts

The Colts' defense struggled mightily in coverage this past weekend. It may have not shown up completely in the box score, but a better quarterback likely has a monster day against what the Colts put out on Sunday.

The biggest concern was the constant miscommunications on man-match concepts. On both of the Texans' touchdown passes, the linebackers failed to match the vertical route from the tight end up the seam. This put the free safety in a tough spot, which led to two blown coverage scores.

It's one thing to have these miscues against the Texans, but what will this team do in week three when Pat Mahomes comes to town? This defense needs to figure this out because a lot of these mistakes are killer for momentum.

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) September 13, 2022

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