Horseshoe Huddle

Colts' Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly Make PFF’s ‘NFL Week 10 Team of the Week’

The offensive linemen were among several Indianapolis Colts receiving favorable grades in road triumph at Tennessee.

Jake Arthur

Colts' Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly Make PFF’s ‘NFL Week 10 Team of the Week’
Colts' Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly Make PFF’s ‘NFL Week 10 Team of the Week’ /

The Indianapolis Colts’ 34-17 road win over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday not only put them in first place in the AFC South Division, players in all three phases were given positive reviews.

Pro Football Focus put offensive left guard Quenton Nelson and center Ryan Kelly on its “NFL Week 10 Team of the Week.” And because the Colts delivered on offense, defense, and special teams, several other players received mention.

Here are the Colts players who ranked in the top 10 of their position in Week 10.

E.J. Speed blocks Trevor Daniel's punt, which T.J. Carrie (38) scooped and scored on from 6 yards out to give the Indianapolis Colts a 27-17 lead on the Tennessee Titans in the third quarter.
E.J. Speed blocks a Titans punt in the third quarter :: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports

E.J. Speed

Special teamer Tied-No. 1 (92.6), 13 ST snaps (54%)

1 blocked punt

Speed had himself quite a night. At the end of the Titans’ first drive of the second half, punter Trevor Daniel got the yips as Speed and teammate Taylor Stallworth came crashing in on him, resulting in a 17-yard punt. The Colts capitalized on the ideal field position to score a go-ahead touchdown.

The Titans had to punt on their next drive as well, but Speed got home this time with ease. Speed dove through and took out Daniel’s punt, which was then scooped up by T.J. Carrie and returned six yards for a touchdown to put the Colts ahead 27-17. It was the Colts’ first blocked punt since 2017.

Indianapolis Colts offensive left guard Quenton Nelson, shown in Thursday's road win at Tennessee, was named to the Pro Football Focus 'Team of the Week.'
Quenton Nelson is a two-time All-Pro offensive guard :: Robert Scheer/USA TODAY Sports

Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly

Guard No. 3 (88.1), 70 snaps (100%) | Center No. 1 (84.6), 70 snaps (100%)

The Colts didn’t have a gaudy day on the ground, but ran when they wanted to for the most part, and quarterback Philip Rivers was kept relatively clean.

Nelson and Kelly allowed only one quarterback pressure between them, and cleared the way for 37 rushing yards on six carries (6.2 avg.), which included one TD, three first downs, and two runs of 10-plus yards.

Julian Blackmon

Safety No. 8 (79.8), 60 snaps (92%)

4 tackles (1 for loss)

It’s the latest solid performance in what seems like a weekly occurrence for a guy who’s just a rookie coming off an ACL tear less than a year ago.

Blackmon patrolled the back half of the Colts defense beautifully but also made plays in front of him, most notably this run that he diagnosed and killed against the 2019 NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry.

T.J. Carrie

Cornerback No. 8 (78), 32 snaps (49%)

1 tackle, 2 pass breakups, 1 TD

Carrie’s big day wasn’t just because he returned Speed’s blocked punt for a TD (the first by the Colts since 2010). He also filled in nicely for Kenny Moore II at cornerback in defending passes.

He was targeted four times, allowing only one catch (25%) for five yards, while breaking up two passes for an opponent passer rating of 39.6. That ranked as the fourth-best mark among corners in Week 10.

Nyheim Hines

Running back No. 7 (77.2), 39 snaps (56%)

12 carries, 70 yards (5.8 avg.), 1 TD, 5 catches (6 targets), 45 yards (9 avg.), 1 TD

What a way to celebrate your 25th birthday. Hines had the most productive game of his NFL career, accumulating a single-game, career-high 115 yards from scrimmage and his third multi-TD game of the season.

Hines is now the only NFL player in 2020 to have multiple games with both a rushing and receiving TD, and the first Colt to do it since 2009. He’s currently tied for the NFL lead among running backs in receiving TDs (four).

Philip Rivers

Quarterback No. 9 (70), 69 snaps (99%)

29-of-39 (74.4%), 308 yards (7.9 YPA), 1 TD, 105.5 passer rating

Rivers’ day started by surpassing Dan Marino (61,361) for fifth all-time in NFL passing yards.

It was another day where “Uncle Phil” spread the ball around as eight different players caught a pass, and four caught at least four balls. Rivers’ adjusted completion percentage (completion percentage after factoring out drops and deliberate incompletions) ranked tied for second in Week 10 at 85.7%.

It was Rivers’ 73rd career game with at least 300 passing yards and his third of the season. The Colts’ 21-point swing in the second half after going into halftime down 17-13 became Rivers’ largest win in his career when trailing at halftime.

Rodrigo Blankenship

Kicker No. 10 (67.), 6 snaps (25%)

2-of-2 FG (100%), 4-of-4 XP (100%)

The rookie had his sixth perfect kicking game with two field goals of 24 and 43 yards and four extra points. Blankenship has now converted 12 consecutive field goals.

Blankenship’s field goals came at important junctures. The first prevented Tennessee from racking up 10 consecutive points, and the second kick cut the Titans’ lead to four points entering halftime. From there, the Colts would score 21 more unanswered points.

Looking for a podcast? Check out the Bleav in Colts Podcast on the Bleav Podcast Network.

(Jake Arthur has covered the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts for nearly a decade and is a contributor for the team's official website, Colts.com. He’s on Twitter and Facebook @JakeArthurNFL, and his email is jakearthur0890@yahoo.com.)

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Jake Arthur
JAKE ARTHUR

Jake Arthur has covered the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts for a decade. He is a member of the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) and FantasyPros' expert panel. He has also contributed to multiple NFL Draft guides.

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