Colts Tight Ends Make Strong Impression in Pro Football Focus Grades for Week 12
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts lost a game on Sunday that they’d like to leave in the rear-view mirror as soon as possible.
Despite the 45-26 loss at home to the division rival Tennessee Titans, there were a few positive individual performances. Pro Football Focus liked a few offensive Colts players.
Here are the Colts players who ranked in the top 10 of their position in Week 12.
Trey Burton catches a TD pass on Sunday.
Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports
Trey Burton, Mo Alie-Cox
Tight end No. 2 (87.3), 27 snaps (36%) | Tight end No. 5 (70.3), 38 snaps (51%)
Burton: 3 catches (6 targets), 42 yards (14 avg.), 1 TD
Alie-Cox: 2 catches (2 targets), 19 yards (9.5 avg.)
Burton and Alie-Cox averaged a passer rating of 116.5 when targeted. Both players did exactly what they needed to, as they each received adequate grades as blockers and turned all five catches into first downs.
Unfortunately, Burton wasn’t consistently used after a strong start, and Alie-Cox didn’t get involved until late.
Luke Rhodes
Special teamer No. 9 (81.6), 7 snaps (23%)
1 tackle
Rhodes has become a consistent presence in this weekly piece, and here he is again this week. As well as making a solo special teams tackle, Rhodes also snapped on two successful extra point attempts as well as snapped to punter Rigoberto Sanchez on his big day.
Braden Smith
Offensive tackle No. 6 (76.4), 74 snaps (100%)
Considering the Colts lost left tackle Anthony Castonzo to a knee injury in the second quarter, they needed Smith to keep his side locked down, and he did that. He received a grade of 83 in pass blocking and allowed zero pressures.
The Colts weren’t successful running the ball (Smith had a grade of 64.6), but while running by Smith, they managed one rush for a first down.
Smith also played clean and didn’t have any penalties, which was a welcome change from what we’ve seen recently with the Colts offensive line.
Rigoberto Sanchez
Punter No. 8 (64.2), 8 snaps (26%)
5 punts, 50.8 avg., 1 inside-20, long-58
Considering what Sanchez played through, this was a gusty performance. Sanchez announced Monday he would be undergoing a Tuesday operation to remove a cancerous tumor that he knowingly played through.
Although he didn’t handle his normal workload in yielding kickoffs to kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, Sanchez had a quality day. Among specialists who had at least five punts, Sanchez’s 50.8 average ranked second in the NFL.
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