Colts' Alec Pierce Provides Explosive Element for Steichen's Offense
The Indianapolis Colts are riding high after getting a crucial road win over the Tennessee Titans. The game was an overtime thriller that the Colts absolutely had to have to keep them in the thick of the wildcard race.
The game provided a roller coaster of emotions for fans, but ultimately ended up with the Colts squeaking out a victory. The defense made timely plays and the offense, once again, played above expectations. In the midst of the great game, the offensive player who got the breakout game they’ve been waiting for was Alec Pierce.
Pierce, who had a solid rookie season last year with 41 receptions, 593 receiving yards and two touchdowns, has gotten a lot of criticism for his slow start this season. Coming into Sunday’s game against the Titans, Pierce only had 22 receptions, 291 yards and zero touchdowns. He heard the criticism and responded in a big way.
The first big play he made was on the Colts' first drive of the game. The Colts were trailing 7-0 after a Derrick Henry touchdown on the Titans first drive. Pierce caught a 36-yard touchdown on a beautiful throw by Gardner Minshew.
Pierce wasn’t done there. He caught a nine-yard pass later on in the game, but also had another deep ball opportunity. Pierce had the corner beat by about 4-5 yards when Minshew overthrew him and the pass fell incomplete.
The biggest play of the game, however, came in overtime. Down three points after the Titans kicked a field goal on the first drive of overtime, the Colts dialed up a deep shot from their own 41 yard line. Pierce made a beautiful over the shoulder catch for a 55-yard gain, setting up a Michael Pittman Jr. touchdown two plays later. Pierce finished the game with three receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Pierce has been criticized a lot this season and some of it has been unfair. Pierce is the vertical guy in Shane Steichen’s offense, but Minshew just hasn’t been able to hit those throws with any type of consistency. No receiver in the NFL has ran more go routes than Pierce and he has only received a minimal amount of opportunities on those plays.
The hardest part to understand is that when you go back and watch the film, Pierce is open on a lot of these plays. But for one reason or another, Minshew just doesn’t pull the trigger. Hopefully after Sunday, the Colts can tap into this weapon more going forward because it can help unlock an offense that has already been playing well.
Steichen continues to evolve this offense in different ways this season and it has truly been fascinating to watch. If the Colts continue to win, it won’t be long until you start to hear Coach of the Year rumblings begin, and deservingly so.
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