Colts vs. Dolphins: Indianapolis Grades, Notes and Quotes
Indianapolis' season could well come down to one game, and it isn’t even a game the Colts are participating in.
After taking down the Miami Dolphins 18-12 Sunday with a goal-line stand and watching the Houston Texans embarrass the Tennessee Titans, the Colts need the Denver Broncos to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football to keep any hopes of a playoff berth alive. And even that might not be enough depending on how next week goes.
Needing a win, the Colts put forth another strong first-half performance before faltering in the second half, but this time they held on for the victory. Frank Gore scored twice in the opening half and helped give Indianapolis enough of a lead that the play of Charlie Whitehurst didn’t make a difference.
The defense stepped up its play once again, with the pass rush playing its best game this season by recording a safety in the first quarter and the game-sealing sack, but the offense still has some things to figure out for next week against Tennessee.
There is still hope for a playoff spot, even if there isn’t a lot of it. Let’s take a look at how the Colts' win against Miami went down.
Position Grades for Indianapolis
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Quarterbacks: C
If someone had predicted how the game would have gone with an injured Matt Hasselbeck leaving in the second quarter and giving way to Charlie Whitehurst, this is about the exact result the prognosticator would have drawn up.
Hasselbeck played all right when he was in but wasn’t great, and Whitehurst never managed to get the offense out of neutral after he stepped on the field before halftime. It's just another sign Indianapolis has missed Andrew Luck desperately this year.
Running Backs: A
Frank Gore returned to Miami for the first time in his NFL career after playing there in college and made his homecoming count, delivering a huge game that saved another disappointing day in the passing game.
Going for 85 yards and two scores, Gore was just about the only player who managed to get anything going on offense in the first half. He ended up making the difference in a defensive contest.
Wide Receivers: C-
So much more is expected of a unit that has the likes of T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Andre Johnson, regardless of who is throwing them the football.
Whitehurst played poorly, but Hilton was quiet again after complaining about not receiving enough opportunities down the field. His fellow receivers followed suit and contributed to a pass attack that struggled throughout the game.
Tight Ends: D
It has been this way all season, but the Colts might as well not even be on the field when it comes to the passing attack. Neither Dwayne Allen nor Coby Fleener broke out of his slump, and the position was a huge disappointment in the blocking game as well.
This season has been a huge letdown for a number of units, but the tight ends make a decent case for being the biggest disappointment of them all after barely existing for a majority of the year.
Offensive Line: B
Surprisingly enough, despite facing the likes of Ndamukong Suh, the Colts offensive line played one of its better games this season. Pass protection was better than in recent weeks, and Gore had plenty of big holes to run through.
The offensive line has been the recipient of plenty of criticism and blame for its poor play, but this week you would have to look elsewhere to figure out why the Colts struggled to get going offensively.
Defensive Line: A
It has been an up-and-down year for the defensive line. The pass rush has struggled at times, but opposing running backs haven't had much success against the Indianapolis front. Sunday against the Dolphins was definitely an "up" day.
The D-line out consistent pressure on the quarterback, and even if Miami's running game did find some traction after halftime, it is hard to fault a unit that was considered the weakest on the team coming into the year.
Linebackers: B-
Things to do with D’Qwell Jackson: rush the quarterback or focus on the running back. Things not to do with Jackson: have him cover anybody, anywhere, in any scenario, ever.
Jackson was the lone weak point for the Colts linebackers, as odd as it is to say, with the unit as a whole playing well. But Jackson’s pass coverage was terrible, and he gave up a few too many big first downs to Miami, which couldn’t capitalize in the end.
Defensive Backs: C
Indianapolis has a lot of needs to address this offseason, and the offensive line might take precedence, but there are few more glaring weaknesses on any NFL team than Greg Toler.
Playing for the first time in two weeks, Toler put in his usual weak-link performance and was regularly targeted by Ryan Tannehill. Overall, it was a good day for the Colts secondary, but Toler single-handedly brought the grade down.
Special Teams: C
Pat McAfee might be the biggest Pro Bowl snub no one is talking about, mostly because nobody ever really talks about punters, and he had another fantastic game against the Dolphins.
Adam Vinatieri hit the field goal that ended up deciding the game, but he missed an extra point in the first quarter, which made the final drive by Miami that much more intense because the Dolphins likely would have won with a touchdown and an extra point.
Indianapolis Plays Well but a Week Too Late
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It’s not like Indianapolis didn’t have opportunities to take control of its destiny in terms of the playoff hunt this year. Last week is a perfect example; the Colts offense was unable to come up with anything to beat the Texans and thus wasted a stellar defensive performance and likely missed out on the playoffs as a result.
On Sunday, Indianapolis looked the best it has this season, with perhaps the only exception coming in a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it likely won’t matter. The Colts needed the Tennessee Titans to beat Houston to make things interesting, and relying on Zach Mettenberger to succeed is never a good idea.
Indianapolis did manage to put in a decent performance, despite losing Matt Hasselbeck for the game in the second quarter. The defense stepped up again, and Frank Gore played his best game all season.
But at the same time, the Texans were busy mauling the Titans and almost completely closing the door on the Colts' playoff hopes, with later results impacting possible tiebreaker scenarios.
The Colts have been building momentum each year since drafting Andrew Luck, but in a season where he has been largely absent, the team will be defined by its inability to take advantage of its opportunities. With no playoff berth, it could be a long offseason for Indianapolis.
Home Sweet Home for Frank Gore
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Frank Gore was born in Miami in 1983, played for Coral Gables High School before attending the University of Miami and put together a hugely successful collegiate career. Suffice to say, he has Miami in his blood.
So when Gore, for the first time in his 11-year NFL career, stepped onto the field at Sun Life Stadium, it had to be an emotional moment. It had been so long since the veteran running back got to play a game in his hometown, so it is only fitting that he made this one special.
Playing easily his best game of the season, Gore started strong with an outstanding 37-yard score in the first quarter, followed by an 11-yard touchdown in the second to give Indianapolis a halftime lead.
After a big first half, Gore (with one more game to play) tallied the most rushing yards for an Indianapolis running back in a single season since Joseph Addai in 2007. Things cooled off in the second half with Whitehurst under center, but the first half was hugely important for a struggling Indianapolis offense.
It hasn’t been quite the season Gore must have hoped for when he joined the Colts, but Sunday proved the veteran back is still capable of delivering game-changing performances and putting up huge numbers.
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Colts Pass Rush Showing Late Signs of Life
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For so long this season, the Colts couldn't buy any sort of quarterback pressure on defense. Despite having one of the best linebackers in recent memory (Robert Mathis) at rushing the passer, Indianapolis was abysmal when it came to getting to opposing signal-callers.
But finally, in the last two weeks, the Colts have started to flash signs of improvement in one of the biggest problems for the team this year. It started with decent pressure on T.J. Yates and Brandon Weeden last week but reached its zenith against Miami.
Starting with a sack in the first quarter that resulted in a safety, Ryan Tannehill could never quite find his footing against the Colts, who were relentless all afternoon in trying to get to the young quarterback.
The Dolphins have one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and every pass rush that has faced them this year has found some sort of success, but the Colts have been so bad this year that any success is a huge improvement.
Some could argue that the improvement came a little too late to make a difference in the Colts' prospects this season, but if the growth from the defensive line and linebackers continues into next year, it could be the start of something great for Indianapolis.
Matt Hasselbeck on His Status for Week 17
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Matt Hasselbeck hasn’t been healthy in weeks. With one injury after the other piling up, it was only a matter of time before he left a game and couldn’t return.
Leaving the game with a shoulder injury, Hasselbeck stepped aside for Charlie Whitehurst and didn’t see the field for the rest of the game. According to Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star, it might be the last we see of the veteran quarterback this season:
"Hasselbeck sprained throwing shoulder. "I'm not ruling anything out but I'm not super optimistic" about playing next week.
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) December 27, 2015"
Hasselbeck's early run as the starter was one of the stories of the season, but he has lost his touch since injuries took hold. Now, Indianapolis could face a battle for playoff survival with Whitehurst or the recently signed Stephen Morris under center.
Chuck Pagano on Staying Alive in Playoff Race
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The Colts' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread, and the end of Monday Night Football might decide things if the Cincinnati Bengals emerge victorious.
But there is still hope, and Indianapolis has to cling to that for now knowing what is coming. But, as coach Chuck Pagano noted after the game, the most important thing for Indianapolis is to win.
"We are still in the thing. We need some help, but we (first) needed to take care of business," he said, according to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com.
It will take a lot of different teams losing for the Colts to make it to the playoffs, but if they can't beat the Tennessee Titans next Sunday, none of that will matter. It is win-or-go-home for Indianapolis moving forward.
Indianapolis Colts on Peyton Manning
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One of the hot-button issues of the past couple of days has been the report from Al Jazeera that Peyton Manning was provided with HGH while he was with the Colts in 2011, as reported by Ryan Grim and Travis Waldron of the Huffington Post.
Since the initial report surfaced, a number of people have come out to refute that Manning used HGH, including the player himself, as reported by Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Now, the Indianapolis Colts have released a statement defending their former quarterback, according to Mike Berman of Indy Sports Central:
"Colts release a statement regarding Al Jazeera's report that Peyton Manning took HGH. They're very much behind PM. pic.twitter.com/o7p7lNyewr
— Mike Berman (@MikeBermanIndy) December 27, 2015"
The Colts have their own playoff hunt to worry about, but Manning had such an impact on the team from his years in Indianapolis that the franchise's support isn’t all that surprising.
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