The rivalry of the century between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots certainly lost some luster as future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning was relegated to pregame autograph duty. Fellow future Hall of Famer Tom Brady played his usual role by picking apart the Colts’ soft coverages to lead the Patriots to a 31-3 fourth quarter advantage.
Straying from the script, the Colts made it interesting by scoring 21 unanswered points in the final frame, but fell short in the end. The late game “collapse” by the Patriots prolongs the weekly debate about whether or not their defense is championship caliber or destined to be overmatched come playoff time. They remain in a heated battle for home field advantage in the AFC and due to a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way, the questions about the defense will linger until the playoffs.
For the Colts, they look to be sick of all the talk about them tanking this season. Sure, the 2008 Lions will have to keep the champagne on ice for at least one more week as the Colts still have their record for futility in sight, but it’s not because of lack of effort. Indianapolis played this game until the end, they just didn’t have enough talent to compete. Colts fans, the nightmare of 2011 is almost over.
Three Performances of Note – Indianapolis Colts
Wrong Man in Coverage
Poor Kavell Conner (-2.9) graded as the Colts' worst player on defense and it may not have even been his fault. He plays linebacker in their base 4-3 sets and while he is decent against the run, his -13.6 coverage grade keeps him off the field in passing situations. After playing a handful of snaps in the first half, Conner was on the field for the first snap of the second half, and the Patriots took advantage by going to their up-tempo, no-huddle look. The difficulty in defending the Patriots’ no huddle is their ability to choose almost any formation in the playbook due to the versatility of their tight ends and running backs. With Conner stuck on the field, Brady and the Patriots chose to go with an empty backfield to attack the mismatch. Starting at the 14:05 mark in the third quarter, Brady threw four straight passes in Conner’s direction, three to WR Wes Welker and one to TE Aaron Hernandez. Conner didn’t stand a chance as he missed two tackles and all were completed fairly easily. The next play was a touchdown pass to TE Rob Gronkowski (not Conner’s fault) and Conner didn’t see the field again until the end of the game when the Patriots were running out the clock. Of course Conner is to blame for his poor coverage and tackling, but despite how hard it is to substitute during the no huddle, I’m surprised the Colts didn’t make an effort to sneak their nickel defense onto the field as the Patriots’ strategy unfolded.
Should He Have Been Starting All Along?
After watching QBs Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter lead the Colts to a 0-12 record, it was QB Dan Orlovsky’s turn to try and fill a pair of Hall of Fame shoes. Perhaps Indianapolis wanted to have some experience on the field for their run at 0-16, as Orlovsky was a part of that vaunted Lions team from 2008. It may be tough to gauge just what the Patriots’ mindset was in the fourth quarter, but regardless, Orlovsky made some great throws and graded at +4.6. After playing a relatively safe game, he completed 18-of-20 for 240 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone. Most impressive was his ability to make throws while getting hit. At the 3:26 mark, linebacker Jerod Mayo comes free, but Orlovsky completes the short pass to WR Austin Collie before absorbing the blow. Later, with 2:18 to go, Mayo gets a free run at him again, but he stands in and hits WR Pierre Garcon in stride with a beautiful deep pass for a touchdown. Despite the loss, it was an encouraging effort for Orlovsky.
Garcon Plays Until the End
Again, I’d like to emphasize, while everyone around the country has put a catchy name to describe the Colts “quest” toward the No. 1 pick in April, the players have continued to play the game hard. Perhaps the best example from Sunday was wide receiver Pierre Garcon (+4.1), the key man in the Colts' 21-point burst. Contrary to what most will think, his big plays did not come against the Patriots’ prevent defense. They continued to play regular coverages, perhaps playing even more aggressive, and Garcon made them pay. At the 2:18 mark, he spun cornerback Sterling Moore around with a double move for a touchdown. On the final drive, Garcon made an outstanding catch by the sideline for 40 yards with 0:47 to go, and then followed it up on the next play with a similar catch in the end zone for another touchdown. Garcon’s unbelievable quarter struck some fear in Patriots fans, but the 31-3 deficit was too much to overcome.
Three Performances of Note – New England Patriots
Big Names on the “No Name Defense”
“A wide receiver, a special teamer, and a street free agent walk into a starting role on defense” sounds like the beginning of a bad joke (sort of), but it was reality for the Patriots on Sunday. With Head Coach Bill Belichick seemingly picking names out of a hat to play on his defense every week, his two biggest stars played their best game of the season. Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork (+3.7) was back to his usual immovable self, while linebacker Jerod Mayo (+3.9) showed his playmaking side in all facets of the game. Wilfork set the tone on the first series with a sack on 3rd-and-12 as he blew past RG Ryan Diem. Though that was the extent of his contributions rushing the passer, it was vintage Wilfork in the running game. Despite being double-teamed throughout the game, he still made seven tackles, six of which were stops. Wilfork’s biggest play came on the goal line on the first play of the second quarter when he shrugged off a cut block from center Jeff Saturday and stopped running back Joseph Addai for no gain. The play proved important as the Colts imploded with penalties and general poor play to finish that drive, ultimately settling for a field goal.
When the Patriots shifted to more 4-3 looks this preseason, it appeared that Mayo would become a featured player in the defense. It hasn’t gone exactly to plan, but this game resembled the flashes he showed back in August. Always strong in run support, Mayo made his presence felt both rushing the passer (two QB Hits) and in pass coverage. He tipped away a potential touchdown with 14:40 left in the second quarter, and then made a remarkable diving interception with 7:18 to go in the fourth. With so many moving pieces on the Patriots defense, Wilfork and Mayo will be the key cogs for the stretch run.
Where’s Ninko?
Since his terrible Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, linebacker Rob Ninkovich (+2.7) has quietly put together a few straight weeks of strong play, as he has graded at +10.1 in that time. One of the most versatile players on the team, you may see Ninkovich set the edge in the running game, line up over the slot, or rush the passer from a three point stance, all in the same series. On Sunday, he saw 25 plays at linebacker and put his hand down to play defensive end 38 times. Ninkovich looked extremely quick, first in the running game as he flew past TE Anthony Hill for a tackle for loss at the 3:05 mark in the first quarter and later as he beat right tackle Jeff Linkenbach off the edge for a sack with 14:35 to go in the second. It really is amazing to see how Ninkovich will be used in a given week, as sometimes he primarily plays coverage while other games he is used as more of a pass rusher. Since Belichick loves to mix up his game plans every week, Ninkovich’s ability to line up at multiple spots is of utmost importance.
Mathis Runs Around the “Rookie Wall”
When offensive tackle Nate Solder (-2.9) was drafted, I immediately thought about his future matchups with guys like Dwight Freeney and James Harrison while trying to protect Tom Brady’s blindside. In this game, Solder played right tackle in place of injured Sebastian Vollmer and he matched up with undersized defensive end Robert Mathis. At 6’9” tall, it’s always been a concern to see how Solder would fare against the small, quick pass rushers, and things did not go well on Sunday as he gave up six Pressures and a QB Hit. It started early as Mathis used his speed to get around the edge which eventually set up his beating Solder with spin moves at the 12:55 mark in the second quarter and again at the 9:44 mark in the fourth quarter. Backup LE Jamaal Anderson even got in on the action with a pressure, and perhaps most alarming, Solder looked lost on a stunt that lead to the day’s only hit on Brady at the 6:39 mark in the fourth quarter. Lucky for Solder, he was the only offensive lineman to allow any pressures, so every time Brady stepped up in the pocket, he was in the clear. After a promising start to the season, Solder has now given up nearly half of his season’s pressures in the last two games.
Game Notes
– WR Matt Slater played 71 of 74 plays at safety for the Patriots.
– Orlovsky was 5-for-6 for 83 yards and a touchdown when pressured.
– Neither team had a drop in the game.
PFF Game Ball
Jerod Mayo played all 74 snaps, and was a force against the run, rushing the passer and defending the pass. He made the play of the game with his diving interception.
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