Week one of the 2018 NFL season came and went as we saw our beloved Colts fall apart after leading at home against an above average Bengals unit as the fell 34-23.
The Colts’ offensive line with two back up tackles played surprisingly well against a Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins led-defensive line. Quarterback Andrew Luck was only hit on 15% of his drops last week.
Luck was only hit on 15% of his drops in week 1. For reference the PHI OL let up QB hits on 22% on drop backs and the league leaders are normally ~12-13%. That was without AC against a lethal DL of CIN. This OL has plenty of work to do but has already come a long way #Colts
— FPC Colts (@FPC_Colts) September 12, 2018
The Redskins’ defensive unit played amazing against a David Johnson led Cardinal offense so how the same offensive line that allowed Luck to perform at an elite level with a pro football focus grade of 91.9. Today, September 14th, star left tackle Anthony Castanzo has been confirmed OUT in Washington. Joe Haeg will more than likely be the starter at tackle again which makes him the first person to pay attention to come this Sunday. Edge rushers like Ryan Kerrigan, Jonathan Allen, and Pernell McPhee will be putting Haeg to the test, which in all honesty worries me. Joe Haeg has a season of starting at right tackle under his belt from the Colts weak 2017 run which hopefully is enough to allow him to perform like he did last week against Carlos Dunlap and Carl Lawson.
Fifty-three, not the abbreviation of the year that the Colts had their first season, but how many pass attempts returning franchise QB Andrew Luck threw for last week while hosting the Bengals. Luck threw for a great 319 yards in 39 completions and two touchdowns in his first game back in two seasons. It will be an interesting sight to see when Andrew Luck contests a Josh Norman covered T.Y. Hilton. How Andrew Luck manages a good pass rush, good coverage, and the pocket collapsing come this Sunday will be interesting especially when playing on the road in Washington.
The Colts secondary, a mysterious unit, is 50/50 performance wise. Quincy Wilson and Kenny Moore look to be the starters with Nate Hairston in the slot is not a bad look at cornerback at all, a lot of raw talent between the three of them though even though they all have only a year in the belt. The Redskins’ wide receiving core is not great by any means but blown coverage is blown coverage end of story. Alex “the check-down King” Smith will no doubt exploit any blown coverages and achieve huge gain from it. Alex Smith has to be by far my biggest worry this Sunday because of his experience and how well he reads defenses.
I can’t wait to see how the Colts play this Sunday and how individuals play their part towards helping the team leave Washington 1-1 heading to Philadelphia!
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