Colts vs. Titans: Full Report Card Grades for Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Colts didn't need a win on Sunday, but they still got one, coming away with the 27-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
After so many slow starts for the Colts as of late, the offense was finally able to find some rhythm early on thanks to some big plays from Daniel Herron. A couple of big plays from him led to the first touchdown of the game, with Andrew Luck finding Coby Fleener on a seven-yard score to go up 7-0.
The offense continued to do well, but Reggie Wayne stole the show with the biggest play of the game in the second quarter, making a great catch and running down the sideline for an 80-yard gain. That play set up an easy one-yard touchdown pass to Jack Doyle.
The Titans were finally able to answer with a touchdown of their own in the second quarter thanks to great field position on the kickoff return. Charlie Whitehurst hit Kendall Wright for a six-yard touchdown to put the Titans closer at 14-7. Adam Vinatieri made a field goal before halftime to give the Colts some room at 17-7.
Luck was benched after the first half, giving Matt Hasselbeck the opportunity to play against one of his old teams. He played quite well too, leading the Colts on a couple of scoring drives before the end of the game. The Titans kicked a field goal in the third quarter to cut the lead to 17-10, but the Colts added another field goal in the fourth.
The icing on the cake came near the end of the game, with Hasselbeck hitting Fleener in the end zone for the tight end's second touchdown of the game. After that, the Colts were able to run the clock down, giving them win No. 11.
It was a much better performance from the Colts compared to last week, so let's take a look at the complete report card grades for the final week of the regular season for Indianapolis.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Unlike the past few games, Luck actually got off to a nice start on Sunday, avoiding turnovers and finding the end zone a couple of times. He nearly fumbled the ball away on a sack in the first quarter, but the Colts were able to recover.
In the first half, Luck completed 10 of his 16 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a strong 135.4 passer rating. His only bad throws tended to come when the pocket collapsed, but even then the passes were sometimes on target.
The Colts didn't even bother to keep Luck in once the second half began, replacing him with Matt Hasselbeck. The 39-year-old actually played quite well, driving the Colts down the field to help them put up 10 more points in the second half.
Hasselbeck went 13-of-19 with 155 yards and a touchdown, having a very nice game. Both quarterbacks played really well, and there really wasn't anything to criticize about either of them this week.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
Daniel Herron was the go-to running back early on Sunday, and that was working out in the passing game. In the first quarter, Herron had already caught three passes for 31 yards, helping the Colts move down the field.
It took him a while to get going on the ground, but Herron eventually started to find some rushing lanes. Through the first two quarters, he put up 31 yards on eight carries. Meanwhile, Trent Richardson continued to struggle on the ground, putting up just eight yards on four carries.
The two starting running backs didn't end up doing much more in the second half, picking up a total of seven yards on four more carries. Zurlon Tipton couldn't do much on the ground either, finishing with just 21 yards on nine attempts.
However, like Herron, Tipton was productive in the passing game. The rookie running back caught just two passes, but he took them for a total of 45 yards. The running backs couldn't do much on the ground, but the production in the passing game kept them from receiving too bad of a grade.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Playing in what may very well have been his final regular-season game, Reggie Wayne came away with one of the best plays he's had all season. After making a great catch on the sideline in the second quarter, Wayne broke away for an 80-yard gain before going down at the 1-yard line. He had 91 yards on two receptions in the first half but was injured on the big gain, so the Colts let him rest for the rest of the day.
Hakeem Nicks got going once Hasselbeck came in, and he was targeted often in the second half. He finished with only three receptions, but took them for 46 yards. Donte Moncrief and T.Y. Hilton were absent for the most part, with the rookie catching three passes for 16 yards and Hilton not catching a single pass.
Coby Fleener made a nice play early on to get a touchdown, hiding as a blocker on a play-action fake before getting wide open for a seven-yard score. He continued to make plays throughout the game, finishing with 56 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions. While drops have still been a problem at times, Fleener has turned into a dangerous weapon this season, and that's exciting for Colts fans.
Fellow tight end Jack Doyle got in on the action as well, replacing an injured Dwayne Allen and picking up a one-yard touchdown.
Hilton's absence wasn't a surprise considering he came into this game banged up, and the big play from Wayne as well as the performance from Fleener gives the receivers a strong grade this week.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Colts made some interesting moves on the offensive line this week, putting A.Q. Shipley at left tackle and Jack Mewhort at right guard. The line changes weren't exactly successful, however, as the pressure was still getting to Luck.
Still, the offensive line did about as well as fans could have expected. Luck was sacked just once in the first half, while the pressure came less often as the half progressed. Once Hasselbeck came in, the pass protection actually got even better. The 39-year-old wasn't sacked once in the second half, with the offensive line giving him plenty of time in the pocket.
The offensive line wasn't nearly as successful blocking for the running backs. The Colts averaged just 2.1 yards per carry as a team, as none of the running backs had open rushing lanes to get through. Some of that is due to the talent on the Titans defensive line, but it still wasn't pretty in the trenches.
Injuries are still a big concern for this unit, as they continue to pile up and force the Colts to move guys around. The offensive line hasn't found any consistency, and that's not a good sign heading into the postseason.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
As a unit, the defensive line wasn't nearly as productive as it usually is. The Titans did a good job running the ball all day, putting up 142 yards on just 24 touches, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Still, there were a couple of guys who stood out during the game.
Ricky Jean Francois made a nice play in the first quarter to deflect a pass at the line of scrimmage on third down, forcing the Titans to punt. He also did a solid job collapsing the pocket and hurrying Whitehurst from time to time. While not a starter, RJF has made some good plays throughout the season when his name is called.
Veteran defensive end Cory Redding was also able to put some pressure on Whitehurst, hitting him twice while picking up half a sack. Other than those two, however, the defensive line wasn't able to win the battle in the trenches, and that could be a problem if the Colts have to play a team with a strong ground game.
Grade: C
Linebacker
6 of 10
Replacing an injured Jerrell Freeman, Josh McNary played much better Sunday than in his previous starts earlier in the season. He was especially effective in rushing the passer, getting a couple of hits on Whitehurst early on along with half of a sack. He's still not the best option at inside linebacker, but this was probably his most productive game of the year.
Rookie Jonathan Newsome also had a very good game. He finished the day with two sacks and six total tackles, finishing the regular season with 6.5 sacks. That's more than Bjoern Werner has had in his two seasons with the Colts, with the fifth-round pick starting to show some serious promise as a pass-rusher.
D'Qwell Jackson made some plays against the run, but he once again struggled in pass coverage. Fortunately, Whitehurst isn't a very accurate quarterback, but Delanie Walker still finished with 43 yards on seven receptions.
Erik Walden continues to be invisible, picking up just one tackle. His strong start early in the season is a distant memory, and he'll have a lot to prove once the playoffs begin. As a whole, the linebackers played well, but Walden needs to step it up and start playing like he did earlier in the year.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
While he didn't have to do much against the pass Sunday, Vontae Davis still made a great play against the run in the fourth quarter. With Bishop Sankey running for a first down, Davis ripped the ball out of the rookie running back's hands, then was able to recover it and give his team the ball again, adding to what has been a great season for the Pro Bowl cornerback.
On the very next drive, Mike Adams stripped the ball out of Delanie Walker's hands. The Colts didn't recover, but it was a nice play that made up for him getting run over by Shonn Greene on an earlier fourth down. As a Pro Bowl alternate, Adams has been a great signing by Ryan Grigson, proving to be a veteran leader in the secondary at a position where the Colts really needed help.
Whitehurst didn't always have pressure in his face, but rarely did he have someone to throw to. He completed just 12 of his 28 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. His 2.6 yards per attempt pretty much sums up how the game went for the Titans offense.
Greg Toler and Darius Butler have had their fair share of struggles this season, but they were able to stick to their receivers for the most part, and that made it a lot harder for Whitehurst. With Davis also making an impact against the run, it's safe to say that the secondary did a complete 180-degree turn from last week's performance.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
Celebrating his 42nd birthday, Adam Vinatieri finally missed his first field goal of the season from 46 yards out. He still made his other two attempts, but you can be sure that he wanted to finish the season without a single miss.
Fortunately, the play of the rest of the special teams helps with their grade. Pat McAfee did a good job pinning the Titans back multiple times, with three of his five punts landing inside the 20-yard line. Sergio Brown made a terrific play on one of those, getting to the ball at the 1-yard line without stepping into the end zone.
Even Josh Cribbs got in on the action, coming up with the biggest return he's had in a Colts uniform. Cribbs took the ball out of the end zone and returned it 76 yards to give the Colts great field position.
The Colts special teams was one of the best in the league all season, and if they can keep that up, this unit could make some game-changing plays once the playoffs begin.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
The decisions made on the offensive line Sunday were strange, but other than that, the coaches called this game like they were supposed to. Win or lose, this game didn't matter for the Colts, and the coaching staff called a conservative game to keep Luck from getting hit.
Pulling Luck after the first half was the right move, and Hasselbeck even played well once he came in. Some might have had a problem with the Colts not trying to move down the field with a two-minute drill before halftime, but running the ball and going into the locker room with a 10-point lead in a meaningless game was a good decision.
On defense, Greg Manusky did a good job of containing another weak quarterback in Whitehurst. He didn't call as many blitzes as he usually does, but that didn't seem to matter, as the pressure was still able to get to the opposing quarterback,
Some of the play calls from Pep Hamilton were a bit odd, but it was pretty clear that the Colts were trying to play as conservatively as possible, and in a game like this, that's exactly what you have to do to keep starters as healthy as possible.
Grade: B+
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position | Final Grades |
| QB | A |
| RB | C+ |
| WR/TE | A- |
| OL | C+ |
| DL | C |
| LB | B+ |
| Secondary | A |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | B+ |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
At the end of the day, it was more important for the Colts to get some momentum than get a win against the Titans, and they were able to do just that.
The offense that's gotten off to sluggish starts and struggled to take care of the ball was able to get a couple of early scoring drives with Luck. Even with backups playing for half of the game, the Colts didn't turn the ball over once in what was a pretty strong game from the offense.
On defense, the Colts looked much better than they did last year, even with a couple of starters out. Players like Jonathan Newsome and Ricky Jean Francois will be key factors in the playoffs in limited roles, as they can make plays when given opportunities.
Overall, it wasn't a perfect game, but the Colts got some momentum and confidence back as they prepare to prove the doubters wrong and make a run to the Super Bowl once the playoffs begin.
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