Breakdown of Colts win in Week 3 vs. Chargers
The Colts won in dramatic fashion last week after finally coming out on top in one of the three nail-biting finishes they have had already to begin the season.
The fast start helped set the tone for the defense: Jumping out to a fast start was essential for Indianapolis against a team that had outscored their opponents 42-3 in the first half of their first three games. The Colts finished the first quarter with a 10-0 lead which was eventually squandered in the third quarter. Nonetheless, it kept a thin defense rested and fed their confidence while keeping Rivers off the field in the early going.
Stout defense against the run: The Colts had one of their best performances stopping the run that I can remember. They held the Chargers to just 37 yards rushing on 17 attempts (2.2 avg.) San Diego running back Melvin Gordon totaled 159 yards and three touchdowns and averaged over four yards-per-carry in the first two games and was expected to continue gaining momentum against a scrutinized Colts defense.
Having a healthy Clayton Geathers on the field helped the Colts tremendously against the rush because he is a player who can play down in the box and is a great open field tackler.
Steady play in the secondary allowed Defensive Coordinator Ted Monachino to use more man-coverage on the outside and direct more attention to the trenches using the linebackers and safeties. The linebackers Sio Moore and D'Qwell Jackson did a solid job plugging the holes while defensive linemen David Parry, Zach Kerr and Kendall Langford did a fantastic job taking on blocks freeing up the second and third levels to make tackles.
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The Much Awaited Return of the Colts #1 Cover Man Vontae Davis: It was great to see Colts star cornerback Vontae Davis back on the field. He still doesn't look 100% healthy and didn't perform to what Colts fans and the coaching staff are accustomed to seeing, but he was a welcomed addition and still provided much needed coverage ability on the outside.
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"I will tell you that when he had the opportunity to cover guys one on one last weekend, he did a fine job of it. There were some reps that I know he’d like to have back, we’d all like to have back," said defensive coordinator Ted Monachino of Vontae's performance last Sunday.
Steadiness was Key: Antonio Cromartie continued his consistent play with Patrick Robinson out with a concussion. He along with pro-bowler safety Mike Adams have provided experience to a secondary that has two young and very talented safeties in Clayton Geathers and T.J. Green. We saw all three safeties on the field together for many snaps last week, with Geathers playing more of a hybrid linebacker role down in the box. It will be difficult for the coaching staff to manage reps when Robinson and nickel corner Darius Butler return from injury. I firmly believe that depth in the back end will be of no concern once they do return to action.
The Secondary did just enough to win: I know it is probably wrong to give any praise to a secondary to give up 26-39 passes for 330 yards to a quarterback without his three favorite targets in wide receiver Keenan Allen, tight end Antonio Gates and running back Danny Woodhead, but it's Phillip Rivers. He puts up huge numbers against average and below average defenses. He always has and he probably always will. The strip by Clayton Geathers on the final possession was undoubtedly to biggest play of the Colts season so far. A season saver.
Offense made big plays: We all saw T.Y. Hilton summon his magic on the 63 yd. touchdown to seal the game. He tributed multiple big plays against the Chargers defense, just like he promised us.
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Luck did what we expect Luck to do: Consistently made plays, rallied the offense on pivotal possessions, picked up the defense and strung together some first downs when Rivers was starting to gain momentum and capitalized on the big play to T.Y. to give the Colts the lead when it mattered most.
