Colts' Young Receivers Proving Crucial to the Future in Indianapolis

What exactly are the Indianapolis Colts?

It's hard to know after the first 11 games of the season. The Colts are 6-5 and have just as many bad losses on their resume as they do impressive wins.

In the past, this team was carried by superstar quarterback Andrew Luck, but this season, the Colts are 2-5 with Luck at quarterback.

With backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck taking over for an injured Luck, the Colts are 4-0 after Sunday. Hasselbeck joined Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks in their 40s to win four consecutive games, per Kevin Bowen of Colts.com.

Of course, that's not all because of Hasselbeck. The team has stepped up around him in the wake of Luck's injuries—like in Week 11 when the defense scored the game-tying touchdown in a game where Hasselbeck was largely dreadful.

But then there are games like Sunday, where Hasselbeck overcame a listless first half to throw two touchdown passes in the second half, mowing down the Tampa Bay defense consistently with accurate passes and quick reads.

Hasselbeck completed just 54.5 percent of his passes in the first half for 6.36 yards per attempt, and the Colts offense scored just six points. Facing a vulnerable run game, the Tampa Bay defense took a page out of the Atlanta Falcons' book and crowded the line of scrimmage, daring Hasselbeck to make it pay.

In the second half, however, he did just that, completing 70 percent of his passes for 8.75 yards per attempt and two touchdown passes.

Hasselbeck will get a lot of his attention for his big game and 4-0 record this season. But let's not overlook the reason why Hasselbeck's stats jumped up in the second half: He started focusing on T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief.

The two wide receivers were held to four passes for 53 yards in the first half but finished with a combined 14 catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns. The dynamic duo dominated a vulnerable Buccaneers secondary, and while the run game stalled, the Colts rightfully ran the offense through Hilton and Moncrief.

The two provided the spark in the second half, getting the team's big plays.

It started with a 31-yard crossing pattern to Hilton, a play that Hasselbeck had been unable to complete earlier in the game. Visibly frustrated after several poor throws in the first half, Hilton was relieved and excited—as was the hometown crowd.

Moncrief helped to get the team in field-goal position later in the drive with a 16-yard, one-handed beauty.

Later in the quarter, Moncrief roasted cornerback Sterling Moore for a 31-yard gain up the right sideline. On the very next play, Hasselbeck hit Hilton for a 19-yard touchdown, the team's first of the game.

In the fourth quarter, Moncrief had more chances to shine, catching four passes for first downs before Hilton finished it off with his second touchdown catch of the game.

All in all, it was a dominant performance, one unlike what we've seen from the duo this year. Both players have had big games, but never at the same time.

This is exactly what the Colts need as they move forward.

This is what was envisioned when the Colts looked forward to this season. The offense was supposed to be efficient and explosive. Luck's injuries and struggles made that difficult, but that doesn't excuse the lapses in Moncrief and Hilton's production for large parts of the season.

Now, this was certainly crucial for this season. The Colts needed this win since they're facing a dangerous Pittsburgh team next week and are trying to keep pace with the Houston Texans, who won again on Sunday.

But the continued development of Hilton and Moncrief is also crucial for the team's future.

The Colts have gotten by with Luck carrying an oft-undermanned squad in the past, but they won't ever be Super Bowl contenders without other playmakers to shoulder some of that load. This is where these players come in.

Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison made plays for Peyton Manning for years, helping to enable some of the greatest quarterbacking in league history and giving the Colts a consistently dominant offense that always gave them a chance at a run.

"

Might not end up being as good, but starting to think Hilton/Moncrief are this #Colts era's version of Harrison/Wayne.

— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) November 29, 2015"

Moncrief and Hilton haven't reached Harrison/Wayne levels just yet, but there is certainly great potential there.

The two complement each other well, both with speed but also with Moncrief's size (6'2", 222 lbs) and Hilton's route-running ability giving the quarterback multiple options on every play.

Of course, the likelihood of this production continuing every week is slim to none. The Buccaneers were 20th in the league in Football Outsiders' pass DVOA this season, and it was an area where the Colts knew they could take advantage of the matchup.

Still, the Colts have seen what their young duo can do, and expect them to continue to run the passing offense through these two playmakers—especially if defenses continue to stack the box against Frank Gore.

If the two continue this kind of play, the team's long-term outlook will shine just a bit brighter—provided Luck returns to form, of course.

If this is the kind of work the two can do with Hasselbeck throwing the ball, what can they do when Luck returns?