Jelani Woods the Lone Bright Spot in Colts Loss vs. Steelers
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Enough will be written about the bad that came from the Indianapolis Colts’ 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that we do not need to talk about it here.
We won’t talk about how the Colts’ offense, as a whole, looks completely broken.
We won’t talk about how the Colts went a measly 3-of-12 on third down, the most important down in football.
We won’t talk about how the Colts’ offense mustered zero total yards in the first quarter.
Instead, we are going to talk about the kid who looks like he could be a star for this offense down the line. I’m talking about Jelani Woods, the third-round rookie tight end that proved to be a mismatch nightmare all over the field. Woods was the one man who could get the Colts’ offense going when Matt Ryan finally decided to throw him the ball, and it almost brought the Colts a victory.
“Had a heck of a day,” interim head coach Jeff Saturday said about Woods. “Jelani is a massive human being, and got a great attitude, a great heart. The kid fights, and made play after play for us. Yeah, he's one of those guys, you're super excited to get him back in the lineup, made a bunch of plays for us tonight.”
Saturday had more to say about the bad, but remember, we’re not talking about that.
We won’t talk about how the spark of energy Saturday brought to the team when he was named interim head coach has seemingly worn off.
We won’t talk about how Saturday completely mismanaged the clock at the end of the game on the Colts’ final possession, failing to call a timeout after a Ryan scramble that wasted 25 seconds off the clock.
We won’t talk about the fact that, despite all of the chatter about the Colts starting slow in games under Frank Reich, Indy started slow once again against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.
No, we are talking about Woods, the 6-7 253-pound monster that ran a 4.61 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Woods was only targeted twice in the first half, hauling in one catch for nine yards. But with the Colts facing a 16-3 deficit after halftime, something needed to change. The big fella needed to be more involved.
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
“(The Steelers) started out trying to shut down the outside guys, and that created opportunities for the inside guys,” Woods explained after the game. “Matt (Ryan) being able to trust us to make a play for him. That’s what the key deal was.”
Woods came alive in the third quarter, catching six passes for 72 yards and being the main catalyst for the Colts taking a 17-16 lead into the fourth quarter. Woods finished the day with eight catches for 98 yards, both career highs. Before Monday night, Woods had seven catches for 79 yards all season.
“I think Jelani makes a big impact for us,” admitted Ryan. “He makes plays. He's done that all year, and I think his role, it's unfortunate he had to miss a little bit of time, but his role has continued to expand all year, and I thought he played well tonight.”
Woods did play well, unlike Ryan. Wait, we’re not talking about that.
We’re not talking about Ryan’s lackluster stat line of 22-of-34 (65%) for 199 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and a QB rating of 77.9.
We’re not talking about how Ryan consistently threw behind his receivers all night as if the game was too fast for him.
We’re not talking about how Ryan fumbled the ball two more times (13 on the year) or how most of the three sacks he took were on him.
The attention today is instead on Woods, who when properly used, could be a future Pro Bowl tight end for the Colts. It is hard for any defender to match the size and speed that Woods possesses. Combine that with him becoming more comfortable in the offense and with the speed of the NFL game, and Woods can be a problem.
As Ryan said, Woods’ role has been expanding throughout the year. With Kylen Granson out due to an illness, Woods played 64% of the Colts’ offensive snaps. He had never played more than 38% of the snaps before Monday night. Even with Granson most likely returning next week against the Dallas Cowboys, it would be smart to keep Woods on the field.
The performance by Woods comes on the back of the rookie facing some adversity. He had missed the prior two weeks with a shoulder injury that finally healed in time for him to suit up against the Steelers. On top of that, Woods has been grieving the loss of three former University of Virginia teammates who were tragically shot and killed in a mass shooting on November 14. It has been a tough few weeks for Woods, to say the least.
“I talked to Jelani after that situation happened about losing friends,” revealed Zaire Franklin. “As someone who has lost a lot of people in my life, I understand what that feels like and how heavy that is to try and play through that. He’s a soldier.
“I’m proud of him. Happy that he was able to make a major impact. He has proven himself in this league time and time again. I know he’s been getting banged up, but when he gets his number called, he makes the play. Just hopping that he gets more opportunities, gets the ball more, and keeps proving himself.”
Woods has persevered through it all and made teammates, both past and present, proud. The rookie is coming into his own, and the Colts need to make sure they keep making him a focal point of their offensive game plan.
So, while other stories from the Colts’ loss to the Steelers will focus on the negative, let’s stay positive. While I am positive that this Colts’ season is lost and Indy is heading towards a top-ten pick – maybe even top-five – in the 2023 NFL Draft, I am also positive about something else.
The Colts have a stud in Jelani Woods.
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