Colts vs. Falcons: Indianapolis Grades, Notes and Quotes
As the game dragged on between the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts, a feeling of deja vu was starting to set in for the Indianapolis faithful.
On so many different occasions this season, the Colts have allowed turnovers to dictate their games, falling behind early and fighting back just to miss out on the final result. So when the Falcons built their lead to 21-7 in the second half, there wasn’t much doubt as to what the outcome would be.
But despite no Andrew Luck, an injured Vontae Davis and a pair of interceptions from backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, the Colts were not willing to adhere to the script that had played out time and time again this season, walking out of Atlanta on Sunday with a 24-21 comeback victory.
It wasn’t a perfect game, with the secondary struggling to cover wide receiver Julio Jones and another rough outing for the offensive line in pass protection, but the Colts won the game and still sit atop the AFC South.
Big performances from Matt Hasselbeck and D’Qwell Jackson—who had the game-tying pick-six in the fourth quarter—helped Indianapolis do just enough to secure the upset win and improve to .500 on the season.
Position Grades for Indianapolis Colts
1 of 7
Quarterbacks: B
The biggest difference between Andrew Luck starts and Matt Hasselbeck starts this season had been the turnover margin. With the veteran under center, the Colts kept hold of the ball and didn’t set their opponents up with great chances nearly as often as they have with Luck.
So it was only fitting that on the first two drives of the game against Atlanta, the Colts committed two turnovers and three overall, including Hasselbeck’s first interception of the season on just the second play from scrimmage and a pick in the red zone in the fourth quarter.
Beyond the rough start, though, and a rally-killing pick in the red zone in the fourth quarter, Hasselbeck played well in place of Luck. Finishing with 213 yards and a score, the 40-year-old veteran showed he is capable of holding down the fort while the team waits for its starter to get healthy.
Running Backs: B
With no Luck, there was supposed to be an increased role for the running backs against the Falcons, but those ideas were a bit misled. The Falcons have one of the best run defenses in the country (No. 3) and flexed their muscles against the Colts.
But, while they couldn’t get much going on the ground, the Colts running backs did have their best game through the air. Helping more as receivers than as rushers, both Ahmad Bradshaw and Frank Gore were key to Indianapolis' fight back in the second half.
Wide Receivers: B+
Things were not going well for the Colts in the first half. Unable to move the ball and down by 14, the team desperately needed to get something going, and the receivers were the ones to answer the call.
With T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief and even Griff Whalen all making big plays on a touchdown drive to cut the lead to seven, Indianapolis was right back in the game despite playing horribly for most of the half.
Both Hasselbeck and the running backs deserve a lot of credit for their performances as well, but the receivers were outstanding and should be praised for their game. The only blip was a continuously anonymous Andre Johnson, but overall the unit was the standout against a poor Falcons secondary.
Tight Ends: C
The Colts tight ends apparently forgot there was a game going on in the first half because they were nonexistent until about the middle of the third quarter.
Both Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen made the catches when Hasselbeck threw the ball their way—including a game-sealing interception for Fleener on the final play of the game—but they remained largely on the outskirts of the offensive game plan, a curious place for players with the talent level of the Colts tight ends.
Offensive Line: C-
Another week, another poor game from the Colts offensive line. At this point it is easier to expect a bad performance than to hope for a good one.
A couple of decent holes were opened up for the running backs but not enough to make the rushing attack a relevant part of the game. As it has been all season, though, the pass protection was a train wreck, with Hasselbeck constantly under pressure.
Defensive Line: C+
With ups and downs this season, no one was quite sure what the defensive line was going to be able to do against the Atlanta Falcons. The result was a resounding thud.
Barely any pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan was the big issue for the front seven as a whole, but the defensive line was largely anonymous against the run as well, leaving most of the work to the linebackers. Chalk it up as another poor performance for a unit that is capable of much more.
Linebackers: B-
A single big play not only turned the game around for the Colts linebackers, but changed the entire complexion of the game and the season for Indianapolis.
When it comes to the linebackers this season, it has been D’Qwell Jackson and everybody else for Indianapolis, and the game against Atlanta was no exception. A constant force stopping the run, Jackson made the game's biggest play in pass coverage, with a pick-six in the fourth tying the game at 21 for the Colts after the ensuing the extra point.
Overall things were pretty mediocre for the rest of the unit, but another standout day for Jackson kept things from getting out of hand for the Colts before they mounted their comeback.
Defensive Backs: C-
Taking on arguably the best receiver in the NFC, Vontae Davis started well against Julio Jones and did what he could, but there is only so much you can do against a player who is closer to a force of nature at this point.
Mike Adams might have missed the game with an injury, but Dwight Lowery more than picked up the slack. The safety was great throughout and recorded a first-quarter interception in the end zone to keep the Falcons off the board early.
The cornerbacks struggled against a top group of receivers, unsurprisingly, while the safeties played pretty well. So overall it was a standard day for the Colts in the secondary.
Special Teams: B
Well, punter Pat McAfee had a pretty solid game like always, and kicker Adam Vinatieri was accurate when called upon per usual, including for the game-winner. But overall there wasn’t much usage of one of the best special teams units in the league.
Coaching: C
At this point in the season, the Colts' problems are so well-ingrained that there really isn’t anything the coaching staff can do about it. Running the ball was necessary but nearly impossible against the Falcons, and there is no magic spell that can immediately fix the broken secondary.
Give credit where credit is due to the coaches for calling a number of rollouts and screens to keep the pressure off of Hasselbeck, but overall it was an average day for the coaching staff that Hasselbeck and Jackson saved.
Colts Will Be All Right with Matt Hasselbeck
2 of 7
Over the last three seasons, Andrew Luck has been the Colts' best player, and it hasn’t been all that close. After he led the team to plenty of success and three playoff appearances, when the team announced the star quarterback would miss a few weeks, Indianapolis' season took a negative turn.
But, as it turns out, no one needed to worry with Matt Hasselbeck more than up to the task of replacing Luck as the team’s starter. Already having proved his ability with a pair of wins earlier in the season, Hasselbeck turned in another impressive outing in the win against the Falcons, completing 10 consecutive passes at one point.
The pair of interceptions was worrying, but overall it is hard to deny the success the veteran QB had against a much-improved Atlanta defense.
His ceiling isn’t nearly as high as Luck’s is, but he isn’t the game manager most expected him to be and can lead the Colts to success as long as their starter is out. If the running game can get going as well, the offense has a chance to be dangerous with Hasselbeck.
There were a lot of negative things to take away from the performance by the Colts against Atlanta, but Hasselbeck was good enough to earn the win and keep the team’s head above water in the race for the AFC South.
Running Game Was Largely Irrelevant
3 of 7
When the news came down that Andrew Luck was going to be out for a significant amount of time, all eyes turned expectantly toward the Colts running game to step up in his absence.
Frank Gore has had a decent season, and Ahmad Bradshaw is more than capable of putting together solid performances. So it was fair to hope they would be the focal point of the offense moving forward. Not against the Atlanta Falcons, though.
Coming in, the Falcons had the third-best run defense in the league and easily handled the Colts' rushing attack, forcing Indianapolis to throw with Hasselbeck much more than it would have wanted to. Both backs were useful in the passing attack, with Bradshaw finding his way into the end zone as a receiver, but without a rushing attack, moving the ball wasn’t the easiest thing for the Colts on the day, even in victory.
There will be better days ahead for the pair running the ball, and an increased number of carries for Gore in particular is probably the way to go as the season continues. But for the first week without Luck, things weren’t great in the running game, and they need to be moving forward.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Vontae Davis Has a Stinker
4 of 7
It isn’t exactly fair to judge a cornerback based on how he performs against a receiver the calibre of Julio Jones, but as good as he is, it doesn’t defend how poorly Vontae Davis played for the Indianapolis Colts.
Considered on the short list of best cornerbacks in the league heading into the season, Davis has been up and down all year—dealing with a number of injuries as well—but played his worst game since joining the league before leaving in the fourth with yet another ailment.
Again, all of this comes slightly with a grain of salt because of whom he was guarding. But once Jones got going in the second quarter, there was no chance Davis was going to be able to slow him down, as the receiver finished the day with nine catches for 160 yards.
Davis needs to constantly perform to the best of his abilities with how poorly the rest of the corners have played this season, and against the Falcons he simply didn’t. It didn't result in a loss, but if his struggles continue moving forward, it will be hard for Indianapolis to stop any passing attack.
Frank Gore on Matt Hasselbeck's Performance
5 of 7
Without Andrew Luck, many expected the Colts to take a step back on offense, but Matt Hasselbeck was hearing none of it, playing a great game in the win against Atlanta.
According to Britt McHenry of ESPN, fellow veteran Frank Gore was impressed with Hasselbeck in the win, adding that age wasn't a factor in what the quarterback did:
"#Colts RB Frank Gore on Matt Hasselbeck: "An old, scrappy vet...I don't go by age, just know when you still love the game"
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) November 22, 2015"
Hasselbeck improves to 3-0 this season as the team's starter and will hold on to the role for at least a few more weeks while Luck gets healthy.
Matt Hasselbeck on the Comeback
6 of 7
Things turned out well for the Colts in the end, but for a while the outlook was bleak with the Falcons leading deep into the fourth quarter before a D'Qwell Jackson touchdown helped even the score at 21.
Matt Hasselbeck wasn't pleased with how the team started the game but was happy about how the Colts stayed in it and battled back for the win, according to Tricia Whitaker of CBS4 Indy
""Was a really ugly start. It's The resolve of this team and grit of this team. Defense did a great job." -Hasselbeck pic.twitter.com/vtMYaRRdXf
— Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) November 22, 2015"
Indianapolis is no stranger to having to come back from big deficits. But usually this year the final results haven't been wins, so the victory against the Falcons was surprising and welcome for the team.
Andrew Luck on Getting the Win
7 of 7
He wasn't able to be on the field against the Atlanta Falcons and will likely be out for at least a few more weeks before making his return, but that didn't stop Andrew Luck from enjoying his team battling back for a win.
It wasn't the prettiest victory, with a lot of problems for the Colts coming to the surface, but according to Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star, Luck didn't care about how it looked. The team won, and that was all that mattered:
"Me: "That was an ugly win." Andrew Luck: "Doesn't (bleeping) matter."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 22, 2015"
With the Houston Texans also winning on Sunday, the Colts needed a win to stay atop the division, and that is exactly what they got. When the end of the season rolls around, all that matters is that the team won, not how it did so. So Luck is pleased with the victory despite the overall performance.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
