T.Y. Hilton's Big Day Highlights Colts' Transition at Wide Receiver

In an otherwise dreary Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis, Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton shined bright against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

He shined bright with his four catches for 122 yards and a touchdown, especially on his 73-yard score down the right sideline to put the game out of reach in the second half. 

He shined even brighter when asked about his daughter, Eugenia Emma, who was born just hours before kickoff. 

According to Phillip B. Wilson of Scout.com, Eugenia was born at about 7:30 a.m., after Hilton had already been at the hospital for about two hours. The third-year receiver stayed with his new daughter and wife (Shantrell) for another four hours before getting to Lucas Oil Stadium shortly before noon, just in time for warm-ups. 

Then he did what he's done more consistently than ever this season: produce big numbers. Even without his 73-yard touchdown pass, Hilton would have led the Colts in receiving. But it was the long touchdown that put the game out of reach for the hapless Jaguars, and also led to one of the best moments you'll see all season. 

It's impossible for Colts fans to not like Hilton, not only because of his genuine attitude in interviews or affinity for unique backpacks, but for his play on the field as well. The best way to build a fanbase is through performance. And oh, how Hilton has performed. 

Take this into consideration: On Sunday, Hilton's 122 yards gave him his fifth 100-yard receiving performance of the season, which ensured (according to my research on Pro-Football-Reference.com) that his becoming the first player in NFL history to have five 100-yard receiving games in each of his first three seasons. 

But it's not just the big games. Hilton has been a big-play weapon throughout the last three seasons, but it's the consistency he's displaying now that makes his production so remarkable. 

Hilton has 1,083 total yards thus far, the exact same total he had at the end of last season. But he's done it in just 11 games, with 19 fewer receptions. If Hilton continues at this pace, he'll become just the second receiver in NFL history to catch 91 passes while averaging at least 17 yards per reception (Calvin Johnson, 2011). To make things even more remarkable, Hilton's catch rate is a stellar 65.6 percent, compared to Johnson's 60.8 percent.

For a receiver to catch such a high volume of targets for such a high number of yards is unprecedented and shouldn't be overlooked. 

On the other side is Reggie Wayne, who finished Sunday with three catches for just 10 yards on nine targets. Wayne's second and third catches were painfully obvious attempts to aid him in his NFL-record 81-game streak of three catches or more. 

The Colts have targeted Wayne late before, but this was particularly obvious, calling two screen plays. The final catch came on a play where the Colts could have begun the kneeling process to end the game. 

It was embarrassing more than anything, and it exemplified the kind of day Wayne had, as he struggled to get separation and didn't have quite enough in the tank to run under Luck's slight overthrows when he did get open. 

Wayne has looked slightly off all season, especially since the his elbow injury back in Week 7. 

While he still has moments left like his 91 yards against the Patriots last week or his 70-yard, one-touchdown game against the Giants, they are much fewer and farther between than they have been in the past. 

But even with Wayne's inconsistencies, the Colts haven't missed a beat offensively. There are plenty of reasons why that is, but Hilton ranks up there with any of them. The Colts need a go-to guy, somebody they can utilize to score from anywhere on the field but also be trusted for big plays on third down. 

Hilton can do all of that, and more. 

The Colts have been blessed with a wealth of talented pass-catches over the last 15 years. Now, with one future Hall of Famer clearly laboring toward the end of his career, what looks like another great career is just getting warmed up.