Film Room: 7 Observations From Colts-Titans

The Indianapolis Colts have dropped yet another game, losing 25-16 to the Tennessee Titans. The 0-3 start marks the worst start to the season for the Colts since 2011 (a year where they went 2-14).

With the All-22 film out from this past game, I decided to dive into my key observations/takeaways from the game.

1.) Eric Fisher's Struggles

Veteran offensive tackle Eric Fisher was signed this offseason to bring stability to the left side of the Colts' offensive line. Through two games played this year, he has been far from a stable presence.

Sunday may have been his worst game in years, as he allowed two sacks and four quarterback hits. While Wentz did hold the ball a bit too long on a few of those, it is hard to ignore the left tackle's struggles in this one.

I feel like I can give him somewhat of a pass considering this is only his second game of the season after tearing his achilles back in January. If this type of play continues though, the Colts may be in trouble (especially with Quenton Nelson potentially out for a few weeks).

Fisher has to improve from this past week going forward if the Colts are going to be able to sustain any type of offensive success. Hopefully, this is a one-time awful performance.

2.) Chris Reed will be just fine at Left Guard

The other major concern on the offensive line was the injury to superstar Quenton Nelson. The injury is said to be a sprained ankle at the moment, but he is still undergoing some tests to see how long he will be out.

Filling in for him was veteran guard Chris Reed, whom the Colts signed to a one year deal in the offseason. Reed started 15 games for the Carolina Panthers last year and looked every bit like a stable veteran when he filled in.

He had a few mistakes in pass protection late, but he was more than solid for the most part. He is a dominant run blocker and can be strong in pass protection when he makes first contact.

This game, if anything, gave me even more hope that Reed will be a perfectly fine fill-in player if Nelson has to miss games with his injury.

3.) Al-Quadin Muhammad Stands Out

Anybody who has followed my work over the years knows that I am not the biggest fan of AQM. While I think he is a good depth player, I've always preferred the younger, more explosive options on the bench behind him.

I will give AQM credit when he stands out, though. He had a few moments where he was pushed off of the ball, but overall I thought he had a very strong game. He beat tight end one on one blocks when needed, crashed hard down the backside, and made sure tackles in the run game.

It was great to see AQM all over the field in this one and hopefully it continues to carry forward. With the young defensive ends struggling in their limited playing time (and the injury to Kwity Paye) the Colts may need AQM to step up and produce if they hope to have even a decent edge group in 2021.

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4.) Carson Wentz Struggles on Two Bad Ankles

Two things can be true from this past weekend; Carson Wentz was the Colts' best chance at winning this game and that he was clearly not healthy enough to play on Sunday.

I will credit Wentz for toughing it out and playing a full game against the Titans on two sprained ankles. His play, however, was a big factor in the outcome. He missed a lot of throws, had poor pocket movement all game, and just looked scared throughout the game.

I am going to take this game with a grain of salt, but he looked an awful lot like 2020 Wentz on Sunday. The main concern now is if this performance, and the bad mechanics, begin a snowball effect and worsen as the year goes on.

Like I said, I'm taking this game with a grain of salt but I am much more concerned about Wentz going forward than I was heading into the game. He needs to get his mechanics and footwork back on track against the Miami Dolphins before this begins spiraling out of control (like it did a year ago).

5.) Grover Being Grover

I almost feel like I shouldn't have to include Grover Stewart in this piece, but I have seen quite a few Colts' fans of late criticizing Stewart's play for no reason at all. Stewart was as good as he always is on Sunday, stonewalling the Titans' front for a majority of the game.

He's a player that will never have the tackle numbers or stats to back up how strong he is playing. The Colts' were able to hold Derrick Henry to just 4.0 yards per carry on Sunday, and Stewart was a huge part of that minor success.

Stewart is a top tier run defending defensive tackle in the NFL and he played like it on Sunday. Please, I beg you all, return to loving the stud that is Big Grover.

6.) Kemoko Turay's Best Rush Since 2019

The unfortunate story of Kemoko Turay is one that Colts' fans may be telling for years. After what appeared to be his coming out party back in 2019, he has barely seen the field in almost two years. Once he returned late in 2020, he appeared to lose most of the juice and explosion that made him such a good pass rush prospect.

He did, at least, have one excellent rush against Taylor Lewan on Sunday. I wouldn't say this looked like vintage Turay by any means, but he did generate good pressure off of the edge. The Colts need to see a lot more of this going forward to justify keeping him after this year, though.

7.) Nyheim Hines is a Stud (per usual)

We are going on year four with Nyheim Hines on the Colts, and it is still an absolute treat to watch him on Sundays. He isn't the most complete player in the league, but he is an explosive play-maker whenever he touches the ball.

That ability showed on Sunday, as he hauled in a reception in the flat that he turned into a 33-yard reception up the sideline. I don't care how it happens, but Hines needs to continue getting touches in the offense. With the struggles of the entire unit, the team should prioritize getting the ball to their best play-maker on offense.

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

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