3 Positives, 3 Negatives in Colts’ Win Against Panthers

admin | November 6, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

The Indianapolis Colts grabbed their fourth win of the season against the Carolina Panthers with a dominant defensive performance.

The Indianapolis Colts avoided the trap game against the Carolina Panthers, grabbing a 27-13 win on Sunday afternoon. However, each side of the football was completely different as far as overall performance.

In a truly interesting game for Shane Steichen and his Colts, let’s get into the three good and bad from Indy’s victorious performance against former Colts head coach Frank Reich and his Panthers.

The Good: Defensive Front

On the day, the Colts kept Carolina QB Bryce Young uncomfortable and pressured. Kwity Paye (0.5), Eric Johnson II (0.5), DeForest Buckner (1), and Adetomiwa Adebawore (1) would all see sacks on Young. Adebawore’s might be more important, as it’s the first sack of his young NFL career.

The highlight of the group was Buckner, who was the main catalyst for so many issues for Young. He would also toss in 4 tackles, 2 pass deflections, and 2 tackles for loss.

Even with fellow interior defender Grover Stewart out for a few more games, Buckner is still showing he can handle the burden of taking over a game. Look for Buckner to continue to wreak havoc in the backfield when the Colts travel to Germany to face the New England Patriots.

The Bad: Penalties

The Colts’ five penalties look pretty tame next to the whopping 10 from Carolina. But, the penalties were mostly from the offense shooting themselves in the feet with false starts while having golden opportunities.

Arguably the most glaring example was early into the second quarter when the Colts had the ball at the Panthers two yard line. It was third down and the Colts were likely going to punch it in with Jonathan Taylor. Instead, a false start from wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. turned this into a third-and-7 situation. What ensued was an incompletion from quarterback Gardner Minshew and, instead, a Matt Gay field goal for three points.

While the Colts ultimately won, it was penalties like this that halted their drives at times, even preventing a potentially easy touchdown from happening.

The Good: Shaquille Leonard

Linebacker and defensive captain Shaquille Leonard is starting to return to form, and it’s shown in the last two contests.

Against the New Orleans Saints (11) and the Panthers (10-team lead), Leonard would tally 10-plus tackles for the first time this season and since his lower back surgery to repair nerve damage.

While Leonard has yet to force any turnovers, it’s still a big sign that he’s put up these performances in back-to-back games. If Leonard can keep playing better and Gus Bradley can figure out how to incorporate the linebacker into his scheme better, Leonard might just continue this momentum and start getting those elusive turnovers.

The Bad: Tight Ends in the Receiving Game

The offense struggled as a whole, but the tight ends weren’t anywhere to be found through the air in Carolina. Drew Ogletree and Kylen Granson would both be targeted, but Ogletree would grab the lone catch for 19 receiving yards. Granson saw 2 catchless targets and Ogletree 3.

On the year, the notable tight ends haven’t contributed too much in the passing game. Below are the numbers through nine weeks.

● Kylen Granson: 16 catches; 170 receiving yards (10.6 avg); 1 TD

● Drew Ogletree: 9 catches; 147 receiving yards (16.3 avg); 2 TDs

● Mo Alie-Cox: 5 catches; 72 receiving yards (14.4 avg); 1 TD

While these tight ends have made some red-zone impacts, the pass-catching just isn’t there completely, and it showed glaringly against the Panthers.

We’ll see if these three can bounce back with better numbers in the upcoming games while Jelani Woods still sits out with a hamstring injury.

The Good: Kenny Moore II

Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II had his best single-game performance of the season against Young and Reich’s Panthers offense. He would finish the contest with a stat line that will likely earn him Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Moore had 8 tackles, 2 passes deflected, 2 interceptions, and 2 defensive TDs. The cornerback is starting to look like his talented self again and will look to continue this performance. If he can keep this up, he’ll likely return to Pro Bowl status or better.

The Bad: The Entire Offense

The score looks deceiving, as when someone sees the 27-13 final, they might assume the offense at least performed serviceably. However, the Colts offense, whether passing or running, was plain bad against the Panthers.

The defense controlled the entire game, and Moore’s two defensive scores planted 14 points onto the final. Kicker Gay would notch two field goals for six points. The offense only mustered seven points and put up 198 total yards on the day.

Minshew went 17-of-26 for only 127 passing yards, 1 TD/0 Ints. Taylor, Zack Moss, and Minshew would tally only 78 rushing yards on 30 total attempts, with Taylor even averaging a mere 2.6 yards per carry.

For the Colts to only average 2.6 yards per carry as a team against a squad like the Panthers is unacceptable. Coming into this contest, the Panthers were one of the worst defenses against the ground in the NFL. While their passing defense is better, it still isn’t top-notch, even with the numbers being a bit misleading in the rankings.

This offense can’t play this way against the Patriots and defensive chess master Bill Belichek. If that happens, it won’t be a happy day in Germany. Look for Steichen to address this in the upcoming days as the Colts prepare to face off against New England.