Colts' Braden Smith, Kenny Moore II Named to PFF’s ‘Week 13 Team of the Week’
The Indianapolis Colts bounced back on Sunday as they outlasted the Houston Texans 26-20 at NRG Stadium.
It took all 60 minutes for the offense, defense, and special teams to come together to ensure an AFC South Division win on the road.
Pro Football Focus recognized Colts offensive right tackle Braden Smith and nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II as primetime players in naming them to their “NFL Week 13 Team of the Week.”
Along with Smith and Moore, here are the Colts players who ranked in the top 10 of their position in Week 13.
Braden Smith (72) is in his third year starting at offensive right tackle.
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Braden Smith
Offensive tackle No. 1 (90.2), 69 snaps (100%)
Smith stepped up again, standing atop PFF’s offensive tackle rankings for Week 13. Perhaps Smith got the benefit of not having J.J. Watt across from him as often with the Colts on their third left tackle, but did his job well.
Smith’s calling card to this point in his three-year career has been run blocking, but for the third consecutive game, he did not allow any pressure on the quarterback, and has only one since Week 9.
The Colts ran the ball six times behind or outside Smith, totaling 28 yards (4.7 avg.), one touchdown, three first downs, and one run of 10-plus yards.
Kenny Moore II
Cornerback No. 3 (89.9), 64 snaps (100%)
8 tackles, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups
Moore had another strong performance as arguably the league’s best slot defender. He was all over the place as a tackler and in coverage.
Moore was targeted nine times, allowing six catches for 58 yards. He had an interception as well as a pair of pass breakups near/in the end zone, which certainly saved points. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson had a passer rating of just 44.9 when throwing at Moore.
The Colts defender recorded four “stops,” which PFF considers a forced failure against the offense.
T.Y. Hilton
Wide receiver No. 4 (88.7), 43 snaps (62%)
8 receptions (11 targets), 110 yards (13.8 avg.), 1 TD
This was Hilton’s best performance in the last two seasons as he snapped a streak of 23 consecutive games (postseason included) without recording 100 yards. He also scored his second TD in as many weeks.
Although he did have one drop, seven of his eight catches went for first downs, including receptions of 16, 18, and two of 21 yards. Quarterback Philip Rivers tallied a passer rating of 145.8 when throwing to “The Ghost.”
Matthew Adams
Special teamer No. 7 (85.9), 19 snaps (68%)
Although he didn’t record any statistics, Adams was in the right places at the right times on special teams. He saw action on kickoff returns (6 snaps), kickoff coverage (5), punt coverage (5), and punt returns (3), showing good blocks and influencing the return trajectory.
Philip Rivers
Quarterback No. 7 (81.9), 66 snaps (96%)
27-of-35 passing (77.1%), 285 yards (8.1 YPA), 2 TD, 119.3 rating
Despite a turf-toe injury that hampers mobility and a third-string left tackle on his blind side, Rivers was painting the field. He distributed the ball to nine different receivers, including five who had at least three snags.
Rivers completed 77.1% of his throws, but his adjusted completion percentage, which considers throw-aways, drops, etc., is a league-leading 90.6%. He finished the week with the NFL’s third-best passer rating.
Jonathan Taylor ran for 70 of his 91 yards in the fourth quarter Sunday.
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Jonathan Taylor
Running back No. 6 (78.8), 33 snaps (48%)
13 carries, 91 yards (7.0 avg.), 3 receptions (3 targets), 44 yards (14.7 avg.), 1 TD
Taylor made the most of limited opportunities early on (he had just three carries in the first three quarters), but then he really excelled in the fourth quarter with 10 carries for 70 rushing yards.
His first catch of the day went for a 39-yard catch-and-run for a TD, the first scoring reception of the rookie’s career.
He accounted for seven first downs on 16 touches and had five plays of at least 10 yards. His four runs of 10-plus yards tied for the most of all running backs, and his five forced missed tackles tied for fourth despite fewer carries than those tied or above him in both categories.
Taylor amassed a career-best 135 total yards.
Xavier Rhodes
Cornerback No. 7 (76.8), 66 snaps (96%)
3 tackles, 1 pass breakup
Moore may have had the big stats, but his running mate had a big day as well.
Rhodes was targeted five times and allowed just two receptions for 20 yards. Watson had a passer rating of 52.1 when throwing at Rhodes.
Rhodes tied his best 2020 tackling performance, receiving a grade of 78.1.
Ryan Kelly
Center No. 8 (72.3), 69 snaps (100%)
Kelly had a solid day after being sidelined by a neck injury last week. He allowed one pressure and was called for one penalty, but he had a better day as a run blocker. On A-gap runs, the Colts had 14 carries for 30 yards (2.1 avg.) for two first downs and one run of 10-plus yards.
Rodrigo Blankenship
Kicker No. 8 (66), 9 snaps (32%)
1-of-1 FG (100%), 3-of-3 XP (100%), 6 points
Blankenship kicked only one field goal, from 42 yards out. He also converted all three of his extra-poin attempts.
He became the fourth rookie in franchise history to reach the 100-point mark, now tied with Edgerrin James (102) for the third-most points by a Colts rookie.
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