Biggest Takeaways from Indianapolis Colts' Week 11 Win

Somehow, some way, the Indianapolis Colts keep getting wins. 

After a rough start to the season, the Colts have now won three straight, winning in Atlanta on Sunday on a game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri. The 24-21 win came with backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck at the helm, against a team that had started the season 5-0. 

Even though Atlanta has been in a bit of a free fall over the last few weeks, it was still a huge win for Indianapolis, which finds itself in the midst of a tight three-team race to the top of the AFC South. 

With the season very much at stake, the Colts came out with a win. Whether or not they can keep doing so will determine if they remain kings in the AFC South. 

But for now, let's stick with Sunday's game. What did we learn from the winning performance?

Matt Hasselbeck Needs Help

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Matt Hasselbeck is 3-0 as a starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. 

Andrew Luck is just 2-5 as a starting quarterback this season. 

Despite that, the Colts are not better off with Hasselbeck under center. Ignoring the fact that Hasselbeck has played significantly worse opponents during his three games, let's just focus on moving forward. Hasselbeck reminded us on Sunday that he is, at this point, a backup quarterback. With Luck out, the Colts are going to need other players to step up in a big way. 

It's not that Hasselbeck didn't make any plays, he made a few crucial ones. But he also missed open receivers, made some critical mistakes in the pocket and all in all directed the offense to just 17 points on the day. He struggled to throw the ball down the field all game, despite the Falcons stacking the box often.

Not only did his interception to start the game put the Colts in a poor situation, but his red-zone interception in the fourth quarter nearly cost the Colts a chance to come back and win the game. In both scenarios, it was the defense that held, intercepting Matt Ryan right back to save the Colts from huge deficits. 

With Hasselbeck at the helm, the Colts can win. But they need everybody else to be doing their jobs. For the most part, that was true on Sunday, and even with a couple of turnovers, Hasselbeck was able to secure his third win. 

T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief Have to Do More

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While much of the Colts' receivers' lack of production on Sunday can be attributed to Matt Hasselbeck's aversion to downfield throws, the Colts won't win many games where Donte Moncrief and T.Y. Hilton combine for 62 yards. 

For Moncrief, it was the seventh game this season in which he's been held to less than 50 yards, and his fourth in a row. It was Hilton's third such game this season, and second in the last three matchups. 

Sure, Hasselbeck isn't going to force the ball down the field like Andrew Luck is prone to doing. But the Colts can't completely abandon the downfield passing game with Luck on the bench. NFL defenses are too good for that. The Colts were able to get away with it on Sunday because of a few key turnovers by Atlanta, but the team will have to have a few more big plays in the coming weeks. 

If Hasselbeck isn't pulling the trigger down the field, then Hilton and Moncrief have to make something happen after the catch. All season, the duo has been too timid with the ball in their hands, particularly near the sideline. Both receivers have chosen to duck out of bounds rather than fight for extra yards or ensure a first down at multiple points this season. 

This won't stand with Luck out. Somebody has to make plays. There can't be a "somebody else will do it" type of mentality, which is what it has looked like at times this year. Hilton and Moncrief both have outstanding physical tools. They have to get those tools working in order to pick up the slack. 

The Colts' Inside Linebackers Are Stepping Up

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One of the weakest positions on the roster this offseason was inside linebacker, a position that has haunted the Colts in recent years, and had little done to improve it.

Nate Irving of the Broncos was added in free agency, but he hasn't made much of an impact, while Sio Moore was traded for from Oakland and has yet to get on the field for any significant snaps. 

But over the last few weeks, Jerrell Freeman and D'Qwell Jackson have been playing lights out. This was in large part due to some stellar defensive line play against the run that allowed the linebackers to play free and fast. With Henry Anderson going out for the season with an ACL tear, there was some question as to whether that would continue. 

On Sunday, it did. 

"

Highest graded ILBs in Week 11: KC D. Johnson +5.8 IND D. Jackson +5.2 PHI M. Kendricks +4.0 IND J. Freeman +3.9 DEN D. Trevathan +3.8

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) November 23, 2015"

Freeman and Jackson combined for 17 tackles, and Jackson added an interception, sack, quarterback hit and pass defense. The duo still is susceptible in coverage, but when they are playing well in the middle of the field, the Colts defense has some life to it. 

The Colts Roster Is Plenty Good Enough, Finally

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For the last three years, we've heard people complain about the Colts roster.

Despite making the playoffs in three consecutive years after a total rebuild and winning the AFC South in the last two seasons, the Colts have been known as Andrew Luck's team. As in, Andrew Luck's burden. 

However, 2015 is a little different. Ryan Grigson had a strong offseason, and the Colts roster was supposed to compete for a championship, in part, because Luck would have a better supporting cast around him. If Luck could carry the team to an AFC title game appearance, what could he do with a little weight off his shoulders? 

But then 2015 actually arrived, and Luck started the season playing awfully. That, combined with multiple potential injury issues and coaching failures led to an unthinkable start to the year. The Colts went 0-2, then followed up a three-game winning streak before a three-game losing streak. 

Luck was the biggest problem, which was ludicrous considering who he was for the first three years of his career. But that was confused for the roster being terrible again. But with Luck playing better against Denver in Week 9, and Matt Hasselbeck having a 3-0 record as a starter, we've been reminded that the Colts roster is better than it's given credit for. 

It's not a particularly good roster, but it's not the bare bones that it's been described as at times. There's a more-than-serviceable offensive line, a good core off offensive skill players and a defense with enough depth and quality play-calling to give offenses periodic fits. 

There are holes, of course, just like any team. The lack of pass-rushers will likely come back and bite the Colts in the rear end, for example. But this is a team that has won three games with Luck on the bench, and will have a chance to win more in the next few weeks.

Is it one of the better rosters in the league? No, but it's not much worse than average, which is significantly better than what Colts fans have seen in recent years. 

Chuck Pagano's Strengths Are Shining Through

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The Colts' coaching weaknesses were glaring during the team's 3-5 start to this season. 

The team was unprepared, undisciplined and lacked a cohesive identity from a game-planning perspective. Play-calling flow offensively was a nightmare, and personnel decisions were questionable at best. 

It all added up to a team that entered the regular season without being ready, to put it simply. The Colts weren't ready for the blitz-heavy defenses of New York and Buffalo to start they year. They didn't figure out prior to the season that Andre Johnson and Todd Herremans needed to be replaced by younger players.

In the end, it cost one coach his job. 

But through the adversity of a rough start, a coaching change and media rumors about trouble amid the Colts' decision-makers, Chuck Pagano has stood strong, and it's become a rallying point for the team. Pagano's steadfastness and motivation through trials have long been some of his biggest strengths as a coach. 

Pagano is a phenomenal leader of men, even if the X's and O's get mismanaged at times. For that reason, he's been the perfect kind of coach to lead the team out of the hole he helped dig them early in the season. This team has to stay confident, stay fighting, to have a shot at a playoff spot. 

With Pagano at the helm, there is no chance of the team giving up in the face of difficulty. It's shown in the team's numerous comeback wins, and it's shown over the course of this season.