Indianapolis Colts Week 14 Stock Report

After a three-week win streak, the Indianapolis Colts faced the lowest of the lows against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, losing 45-10 in an abysmal showing.  

The Colts are at their lowest point this season, but at the same time, the future isn't completely bleak. After all, the team knows Andrew Luck is coming back at some point. While his return won't mean certain contention, or anything along those lines, it will give the Colts the means to reach a much higher ceiling than has been possible recently.  

Still, the loss to Pittsburgh was a devastating blow.  

The Colts have managed to avoid those occasional blowouts this season, but similar losses were big black eyes on an otherwise pleasant season last year. During a year that has been filled with obstacles and disappointments, a loss like this one, in prime time, could have an incredible effect.  

Will the Colts let this define them and stumble to a disappointing, insignificant finish? Or is this a turning point? Only time will tell, but it will be up to the following individuals to step up.

Stock Down: Matt Hasselbeck

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Backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was flying higher than ever after the Colts' Week 12 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A 4-0 start and an impressive second half against the Buccaneers made sure of that.  

After a peak like that, it was simple probability that he'd fall back to earth. But instead, Hasselbeck crashed, and crashed hard.  

The numbers paint a horrifying picture on their own: 16-for-26 for 169 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Colts also went four of 17 on third and fourth down and an abysmal one of six in the red zone.  

But considering the context, it gets even worse.  

The Colts were going up against an inconsistent (at best) secondary, one that should have been vulnerable to Indianapolis' passing attack that shredded Tampa Bay the week prior. The offense got the ball inside the Pittsburgh 25-yard line twice in the first five minutes of the game, but managed just three points. The offense had every advantage they could have wanted, but couldn't do anything with it.  

To be clear, the Colts haven't been winning because of Hasselbeck, but his play has at least been passable in large stints. If Hasselbeck plays as poorly as he did Sunday, however, the Colts simply don't have the talent to keep up with other teams, including ones like the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14. 

Stock Up: Phillip Dorsett

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While Phillip Dorsett hasn't played in a game since October, his forecast is finally looking up.  

Head coach Chuck Pagano told Mike Chappell of Indy Sports Central that Dorsett was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, which would put him on track to play Sunday against the Jaguars.  

Is Dorsett the answer to the Colts' offensive problems?  

Not likely. Dorsett was healthy for the first seven games of the season, and the Colts offense routinely started slow and dug themselves into big holes. With Hasselbeck at quarterback in Weeks 4 and 5, Dorsett caught just three passes for 16 yards.  

Still, Dorsett is a big part of the Colts' future, and it's important to get him back out on the field. Andre Johnson has proved time and time again this year that he is not going to be a key contributor on this offense, especially not in the long-term picture.  

The Colts offense has looked best this season when it's been able to open up and spread the field. Andrew Luck is at his best when the offense is vertical, and it's the best option for the team going forward. Getting Dorsett involved, both down the field and in yards-after-the-catch situations, is one way the team can get back to its explosive nature that has been missing far too often this year.

Stock Down: Run Defense

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The Colts run defense has been relatively stout this season, with improved depth on the defensive line helping boost both Jerrell Freeman and D'Qwell Jackson's run defense to stellar levels. 

The Colts currently rank 12th in run defense by Football Outsiders' DVOA metric, and both Freeman and Jackson are in the top three in Pro Football Focus' run stop percentage for inside linebackers. But Freeman was hurt in the team's win over Tampa Bay in Week 12, and losing him was a big blow.  

This week, the Colts put backup linebacker Nate Irving on the injured reserve list, further undermining the team's depth at inside linebacker.  

But the Colts run defense had been underperforming even before that. Against the Buccaneers, the Colts allowed Doug Martin to rush for 97 yards on just 14 carries (6.9 yards per carry). Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams had been held to under four yards per carry in two consecutive games, but rushed for 134 yards on 5.2 yards per carry against Indianapolis.  

While Williams did fumble twice in the game, he could generally slash for significant gains whenever he wanted, and the Colts couldn't defend the twofold attack of Pittsburgh. 

As the Colts get closer to the postseason, they'll need to defend against the run. The teams they play all have questionable quarterbacks, and the defense can't allow those quarterbacks significant run support or they'll make it more difficult on themselves than needed.  

Stock Up: David Parry

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With the Colts losing 45-10 to the Steelers, it's hard to find positives on the defensive side of the ball.  

The Steelers did whatever they wanted to Sunday night, and nobody on the defense should take pride in the team's performance.  

That being said, rookie nose tackle David Parry did play rather well, halting a streak of poor performances. Prior to Week 12, Parry had five consecutive games with a negative grade from Pro Football Focus, but finished with a positive-1.5 in Week 13.  

Parry also had multiple stops and quarterback pressures for the first time in four weeks, welcome productivity in a thinned defensive line.  

With Henry Anderson out, the Colts need players like Parry to step up. If he can continue this kind of play, the Colts have a chance to stay competitive on the defensive side of the ball, especially if he can provide some kind of pass rush from the interior in the Colts' base package.  

Stock Down: Vontae Davis

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There's been a lot of attention on Vontae Davis for having a down year, but the topic came to the forefront after Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers threw all over the Colts Sunday.  

The game was the second-worst pass defense performance of the year for Indianapolis, according to Football Outsiders' DVOA, and it was in large part due to Antonio Brown dominating the Colts secondary—namely Vontae Davis.  

According to Pro Football Focus, Davis allowed Brown to catch three passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. For the season, Davis is ranked just 55th among all cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus' grading system. 

Davis has been hampered by a variety of injuries this year, but it's no excuse for a cornerback that was signed to be a shutdown No. 1 corner. The thing is, Davis knows that, telling Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star that he holds himself to a higher standard:  

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With the standards that I hold myself to, this should motivate me. I'm really hard on myself. That's how you have to be. I've been hard on myself for mistakes I made in the past, and that's how I got better. You improve from your mistakes. And that's how you should be as a player who wants to play in this league for a long time. 

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The Colts depend on their high-end players to play well and carry an average roster, but if they're not playing well, the team will suffer.