The Colts' first venture into life without Peyton Manning didn’t go well for them. Many have surmised that without Manning they wouldn’t even be half the team they are with him. After Sunday, that may have been underplaying it.
They struggled to establish anything on offense and without Manning keeping them on the field and working the clock, the defense looked more exposed than ever. There were still glimpses of good performances; Reggie Wayne got 100+ yards to go along with a TD and Robert Mathis generated some good pressure as expected. However without Manning the package was incomplete and looks incapable of winning a game right now.
Even against a Browns team that was surprised to lose out in the battle of Ohio, the Colts look as though they will be in trouble. The Browns will be eager to rebound and how do the Colts tackle Peyton Hillis? Can Dwight Freeney shake off a poor Week 1 and get pressure against Joe Thomas?
The Browns were optimistic this season that they’d make positive strides; they need to pick up a win here if they are to realize those hopes. With that in mind here are three things to focus on as the Browns look to push the Colts further in to the abyss and the Colts look to pull out of their free fall.
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1. Marquee Matchup – Joe Thomas vs. Dwight Freeney
Arguably the best LT in the league against arguably the best pass rusher in the league; does it get better than this? Freeney was disappointing in Week 1 against the Texans as he failed to exploit Duane Brown. His performance typified the Colts’ display and now he must raise his game as he faces off with a man who has earned our seal of approval in currently being the best LT of his generation.
Thomas was perfect in pass protection last week against a fairly blunt Bengals’ pass rush (from the right side at least), so can expect more of a challenge in Week 2. This matchup doesn’t need many words so I’ll just put it in context with our grades for pass rushing/pass protection over the last three seasons for these two. Thomas’ total pass pro grade since 2008 is +40.9, Freeney’s total pass rush grade over that same timespan is +101.8. Now our grades aren’t don’t compare across positions but those are amongst the best for their positions in that time frame. This duel makes this game watchable all by itself, go football.
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2. Bringing the pain to the middle – Peyton Hillis vs. Pat Angerer
With the news that Gary Brackett is likely to miss this game due to injury, the Colts are now in the unenviable position of having to bring in a backup to one of the worst run stopping MLBs in the NFL. Hillis' style of running, straight up physicality and aggression, is something that the Colts do not cope well with and Pat Angerer will have his hands full trying to cage Hillis this weekend along with his fellow starting LBs. Hillis forced two missed tackles last week against the Bengals, after forcing 31 last season. Angerer meanwhile missed two in Houston against a Texans’ backfield missing their star in Arian Foster. If the Browns’ offensive line can manage to control the Colts’ defensive line (not the toughest task they’ll face this season) Hillis could find himself set loose against Angerer and the Colts’ LBs, which could go some way to getting Hillis closer to last seasons’ figures.
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3. Can he repeat that week one performance? Colts’ Interior O-line vs. Phil Taylor
In a week where rookies like Cam Newton stole the headlines for the NFL’s new collegiate intake, one of the finest debuts came in Cleveland where Phil Taylor looked outstanding for the Browns. In Cleveland’s new 4-3 defense he outshone Ahtyba Rubin and crushed the Bengals’ offensive line. Taylor registered five defensive stops, all in run defense, making fellow rookie Clint Boling’s NFL start one to forget. In Houston the Colts’ offensive line was struggling to establish the run and if players like Ryan Diem, Jeff Linkenbach and Jeff Saturday don’t raise their game then Joseph Addai and Delone Carter will be in for a long, painful day.
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So there’s your three to focus on? Feel free to let us know what you’ll be focusing on in the comments section, or at our Official Twitter account.
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