The Colts' Defense, 2022 Season
 

o


(vs. CHIEFS, 9/25)


In my rat's ass of an opinion, the Colts' defense played very well today ...... better than what the scoreboard might indicate.

The offense put them in bad positions on numerous occasions throughout the game.

They got 4 stops in the first half (3 punts, and they held them without scoring right before halftime when the Chiefs had excellent field position.)

In the second half they stopped them on downs once, got an INT to seal the win, and forced 2 field-goal attempts (one of which the Chiefs missed.)

o

KC got just 17 points. Mahomes threw his first INT today. Defense did their job. Maybe this is the start of them jelling.

The D played well against a great offense, can't complain. The OL can eat a bag of dicks. We are paying and have invested too much for them to be this mediocre to bad.

A sence of hope and promise returning after this game.

o


(vs. TITANS, 10/02)


Once again, the offense put the defense in a bad situation on 2 separate occasions in the first half, turning the ball over in their own territory ...... the Titans proceeded to score 2 touchdowns, good for 14 points.

The defense allowed 10 points in the entire game when not being put in peril by the offense's turnovers.

The defense was very good in the 2nd half, shutting the Titans out which allowed the offense 2 opportunities to tie the game ...... the offense failed with both of those opportunities late in the 4th quarter.

o

o



The open-field tackle by ) Zaire Franklin ) was particularly impressive.

On 3rd and 5, Ryan Tannehill scrambled out of the pocket and beyond the line of scrimmage. When he went around a Colts defender needing only 2 more yards, I though for sure that he was going to get the 1st down ...... but out of nowhere came Franklin, hitting Tannehill head-on and taking him down 2 yards short of the line to gain.

o

Franklin also put Leonard out of the game

o


Before the start of the Titans game, I said that I didn't think that Leonard should be playing because of the fact that he was not yet 100% healthy (by his own admission), and I didn't want him to reaggravate the back injury that has taken him so long to rehabilitate ...... I wanted Leonard for the long run, and if that meant him missing the Titans game plus a couple of more games after that, then that is what Reich should have done (kept him on the bench for his own long-term welfare.) As a humanitarian, I don't like to see anybody get a concussion, but strictly as a football fan that is thinking in terms of his value to the team, the fact that the concussion has nothing to do with his back surgery is a good thing ...... and if the concussion keeps him out of the next 2 or 3 games, that may be the best thing for him in the long run. Again, I would not have had him playing at all on Sunday in the first place, but that wasn't my decision. I'm just glad that his continued recovery from the back surgery wasn't set back at all.

o

He is out for thursday

o


I know ...... and I'm glad. Not because he has a concussion, but because I want his back to be completely healthy before he takes the field again.

o

His back is healthy, otherwise he would not have been cleared for return. The only reason he was held out of the first 3 games was not because of injury limitations, but because you can't play NFL quality football after 1 or 2 weeks of practice.

o


At the beginning of the game, the announcer said otherwise about his back ...... they (Leonard and the Colts) said that for the first time in a long time he had been "pain-free for periods of time", but that the symptoms had come back now and then (came and went.) A player does not necessarily have to be 100% healthy in order to be cleared to play. If it is specifically a concussion, that is different, but not necessarily so for most other injuries.

o

o


I remember when I was in 9th grade, and ) Jack Youngblood ) fractured his leg (fibula) in the divisional playoff game against the Cowboys ...... one week later, he was playing in the championship playoff game against the Buccaneers. 2 weeks after that, he played in the Super Bowl against the Steelers.

Granted that that was 43 years ago and the specific rules about a player being cleared to play are stricter today, but I'm positive that if Youngblood was cleared to play one week after fracturing his fibula 43 years ago, then a player who has back-pain symptoms that come and go can be cleared to play today.



Against All Odds, Youngblood Played

(By Joey Johnston)

https://web.archive.org/web/20100415...dds-he-played/

o

Leonard has a broken nose on top of having the concussion. He'll probably be out for a while.

Franklin is 2nd in the NFL in tackles

The defense is why I still have hope for this team.

o


(vs. BRONCOS, 10/06)


Tonight, the defense will be tested against the always-dangerous Russell Wilson ...... since they played well against the very mobile Patrick Mahomes, they ought to be able to do at least a reasonably good job of containing the very mobile Russell Wilson.

The Broncos beat the 49ers, and the 49ers just thumped the defending Super Bowl champion Rams ...... but those same Broncos also lost to the previously-winless Raiders 4 days ago.

o

o


(vs. BRONCOS, 10/06)


The Colts' defense has gave up 6 points when not being put in a bad position by the offense ...... the Broncos scoring "drive" for their 3rd and final field goal netted 0 yards on 3 plays before their kicked booted a 45-yarder.

o

5 games, not a point given up in the 4th. That's pretty damn remarkable- particularly with all the injuries they suffered tonight.

This was a great game by the defense. If the offense can put anything together there might be hope.

o


Plus, they didn't give up any points in 10 minutes of overtime against the Jaguars ...... that's 85 minutes of football after the end of the 3rd quarter in which they have not given up any points.

o

o


(vs. JAGUARS, 10/16)


The Colts' defense finally gave up points in the 4th quarter for the first time this season, but they played well enough overall for the team to get the win ...... they forced 3 punts in the first half, and got the Jaguars to turn the ball over twice in the 2nd half (once on a fumble, the other time on downs.)

o

Jags were assisted by 2 3rd down penalties on that drive as well including the BS Pass int on Gilmore, that drive should’ve been a 3 and out

o


In the 4th quarter, the Colts' defense turns into the 1976 Steelers.

o

o


(vs. TITANS, 10/23)


Not including the pick-6, the Colts' defense gave up 12 points today.

Overall, they got 4 stops (3 punts, and 1 turnover.)

o

12, right?

o


Yes, thanks.

o

To add to this:

In two games vs. TEN, the defense has given up 243 and 254 yards respectively. In two games, TEN has had one good TD drive (6 plays, 75 yards) in the 1st qtr of game 1.

The other three TD's they scored came...

-after we fumbled at our own 32
-after an interception at our own 28
-directly via a pick-6 by Matt Ryan

o


(vs. COMMANDERS, 10/30)


On the whole, I think that the Colts defense has played well this year, ESPECIALLY considering how bad the offense has been overall ...... a team's offense can affect the defense in that if they don't have long-sustained drives, it forces the defense to be out there playing longer and more often. Time-of--possession and/or the number of plays that an offense runs from scrimmage is important, unless you have Dan Marino putting up 35 or more points-per-game.


The defense coughed up the winning TD when they had the Commanders on their own 5 yardline in the final 2 minutes of the game, but as I said in the game thread, I would have gone for it on 4th and inches when we had the ball before we punted. Going for it would have given us 3 chances to win ......


1) Get the first down.

2) If you don't get the first down, keep the Commanders out of the end-zone on a 35-yard field.

3) Even if the Commanders had gotten got into the end zone on that short 35-yard field, there is a pretty good chance that the Colts still may have had some time to get into field goal range on offense.


As it was, the Colts only wound up having one chance to win (keeping the Commanders out of the end zone on a 95-yard field.)

o

o


(vs. PATRIOTS, 11/06)


All things considered, I thought that the defense played well today.

The Patriots got one touchdown l on a 2-yard drive, l after a blocked punt ..... and they got their other touchdown on a pick-6.


Additionally, the offense was non-existent, which meant that the defense had to constantly be on the field with hardly any rest in between series.

o

That’s what’s so bad… this is a championship caliber defense

A wasted championship caliber defense.

o


(vs. VIKINGS, 12/17)



Colts Defense Can't Explain Historic Collapse: 'We Were Getting the Same Looks the Whole Game'

(By Joel A. Erickson)

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...y/69720175007/

o

They continually get put on the field …. defense tried to single-handedly give the offense a win and they still found a way to fuck it up

Kinda like when We had Manning and that offense but the defense was never great.

Yea but eventually there was a plan, get out to a lead and force the pass. This offense just looks unprepared after the scripted plays it’s the same plays over and over. Yesterday they fell in love with the screen to Pittman and ofcourse their favorite play fumbling the ball

We lost this game due to Matt Ryan first and foremost. Yes, there were other fuck ups out there, but when a team has a 33 point lead and your QB can't sustain any fucking drives, and keeps giving the ball back, this is the type of shit that happens. Defense was gassed.

Ordinarily I'd be fuming about yesterday's loss. As it is now, I don't much care. This team sucks. The defense is good, but on an organizational level, they suck from the top down. I kinda wish the NFL would install another Bill Polian to run things again. We've sucked since he (Bill not Chris) left.
Go Bills.

Theres only one guy who could get a win this this offensive line, but he has already made a second comming, so Im not holding my breath

I disagree.