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Kenny Moore II, Nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year

Kenny Moore II, Nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1467556283326763008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1467556283326763008%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stampedeblue.com%2F2021%2F12%2F6%2F22821702%2Fpff-provides-colts-cb-kenny-moore-ii-the-highest-praise-following-his-heroics-in-houston

Kenny Moore II sealed his nomination with an outstanding performance on Sunday in Houston. The Colts took on a division rival, the Houston Texans. A win in Houston was crucial for the Colts to remain in the playoff picture. The previous game was a 38-31 loss in the final seconds of the game. A game that was primarily dominated by the Colts. This time around the Colts brought down the hammer and kept it down the whole game. The final score was a shutout 31-0.

The Colts prevailed on both sides of the ball but Moore had the best performance of any cornerback in the NFL on Sunday. The very first play of the game Moore made a sideline interception. From that point on, it was all Colt’s highlights. According to PFF, Moor finished with 4 tackles (3 solo), 2 passes defensed, a forced fumble, and the impressive interception. Moore was not only the highest graded cornerback, but had the second highest overall grade of any NFL player on Sunday given by PFF—cornerback or not according to PFF. 

An article written by JJ Stankevitz in the Colts featured page talks about the quality of each player. An email was mentioned by Joe Clingenpeel, where he said 

“It isn't an accident that our roster is full of respectable, high quality, young men of character; these are the traits the Colts are looking for when they obtain players.”

Stankevitz responded that it was true, the Colts always search for players that play well on the field, but more importantly help their communities, show respect and maturity. He then said, 

“Kenny Moore II could not be a better representative for the Colts on and off the field, and is a fantastic choice to carry on Walter Payton's legacy with this award.” 

The Colts have an all around fantastic team of leaders that respect one another and put others before themselves. Congratulations to Moore for being recognized as a great leader. 

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Colts Control Everything In Houston

Image By: batteredblog.com

The Indianapolis Colts shut out the Houston Texans on their home turf 31-0. After a disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Colts went on the road to beat an AFC South team. As of right now, the Colts sit in second place at 7-6 behind the 8-4 Tennessee Titans.  

Carson Wentz played well today. He led the Colts to a touchdown each quarter and 10 points in the fourth quarter. Wentz was 16 for 22 completions to attempts for 158 yards and 1 throwing touchdown. His passer rating was 107.8 according to The Score. Jonathan Taylor had an impressive day as well. Taylor carried the ball 32 times for 143 yards and had 2 touchdowns.  

Every part of this game was dominated by the Colts. The Colts had 26 first downs to the Texans nine first downs. In total yards, the Colts had 389 yards to the Texans 141 yards. Also, the time of possession was in the favor of the Colts, the Colts had the ball for 42 minutes and the Texans held the ball for 18 minutes. All stats by The Score.  

The Colts have a well-deserved bye week coming up and after that they face the Patriots in week 15 at home.  

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Jonathan Taylor Moves the Ball

Image By: indystar.com

Jonathan Taylor led the Colts to an upset win at Buffalo in complete domination. The Colts surprised the Bills and won 41-15. The Colts held possession of the ball 62 percent of the game, 37 minutes to the Bills 23 minutes with the ball.

According to CBS Sports, Taylor matched an NFL record with his eighth consecutive game with 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown, joining LaDainian Tomlinson (2006) and Lydell Mitchell (1975-1976). Taylor recorded 32 carries for 185 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Bills number defense in rushing yards could not stop Taylor from running play after play. The Colts had 264 rush yards to the Bills 91 rush yards according to The Score.

The Bills struggled heavily in turnovers. Quarterback Josh Allen, threw 2 interceptions and the back up threw a third as well as one fumble. All around though, the Colts really showed up and caught the Bills by surprise.

Hopefully the Colts can have a similar performance at home taking on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

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A Rematch From 2020 Playoffs

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Indianapolis travels to Buffalo to face the Bills in a second attempt to beat them at home. In January 2021, the Colts lost to the Bills 27-24 in Buffalo. Ten months later, the Colts find themselves in a similar situation where the Bills have a better record but may not have a better team.

The one aspect that has changed since that playoff game is the Colts quarterback. During the playoff game, the Colts had Philip Rivers was leading the charge in his first season with the Colts. Carson Wentz is leading the Colts this time around but hopefully with a different outcome.

According to The Score, the Bills are ranked in the top 3 in total yards (1st), passing yards (2nd), rushing yards (3rd), points (1st), and third down percentage (1st). The Colts on the other hand are ranked 20th in total yards, 20th in passing yards, 17th in rushing yards, 13th in points, and 17th in third down percentage. 

The Colts need a miracle in Buffalo. I would love to see the Colts win but it isn’t looking great for them.

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Running Game Led to the Dub

Image By: CBS Sports

When Jonathan Taylor has the ball with a burst of speed, he can't be stopped by anyone. Taylor had 21 carries for 116 yards and 1 touchdown according to The Score. The matchup that should have been a blowout by the Colts was actually a 23-17 win at home. At one point the Colts were up 17-0 in the first quarter but that didn’t last. 

The play that set the Colts for the win was the blocked punt by Franklin and Speed picked up the ball to score with 8 minutes left in the first quarter. After that play, Taylor took over to score with 2 minutes left in the first quarter to make it 17-0. 

Michael Pittman came through again today. He was targeted 5 times for 5 receptions for 71 yards and saved the Colts on 3rd down more than once. The rest of the game was both teams punting back and forth to each other. The Colts and Jags combined for 15 punts. 

Even though the Colts won, the Titans won as well. The Colts remain 3 games back. It is looking tough for the Colts as they travel to Buffalo to play the 6-3 Bills, while the Titans go to Houston to play the 1-8 Texans. Maybe the Texans can break their 8 game losing streak with a win against the Texans. 

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Rookie Quarterback Settling in Against the Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, has found a little spark coming off a huge win against the Buffalo Bills. The Jaguars will be traveling to Indianapolis to play the Colts Sunday at 10 am. Statistically, the odds favor the Colts. They have a stronger defense that has limited opponents to 23.7 points per game according to The Score. 

The Colts are returning from a 45-30 victory over the New York Jets, a score that has never been played before making it the 1,069th unique scoring game according to CBS Sports. Wentz has looked strong numbers wise. He has thrown 17 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while Lawrence has thrown 8 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. The pace of the game lies on the back of Jonathan Taylor, the man who has carried the ball 140 times for 821 yards and 8 touchdowns. Taylor and Hines are 5th overall in rushing yards per game, averaging 137.3 yards per game according to The Score. 

The Colts lead the Jaguars in every statistic except rushing yards allowed by the defense where the Jags are 12th 103.4 yards and the Colts are 13th with 106.4 yards according to The Score. For the Colts to win, Wentz will need to get rid of the ball quickly to avoid sacks from linebacker Josh Allen. 

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Jonathan Taylor Steam Rolls the Defense

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The Colts were on a mission to get a win to keep them as a contender in the wild card race. Three games back in the AFC South race, the Colts had a heart wrenching defeat in the hands of the Tennessee Titans 4 days before Thursday night's game. For the New York Jets, they were on a high coming off a legendary opening performance by rookie quarterback Mike White. According to The Score, he was 37 for 45 completions to attempts, threw for 405 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He’s also one of two players to throw for 400 yards in an opening start since Cam Newton in 2011, according to The Score.

Both teams are looking for an important win, it would be 2 straight wins for the Jets if they won or the Colts would be able to inch their way closer to the Titans who are facing the top notch LA Rams Sunday night. 

Out of the gate both teams throw completions and gain yardage but only walk away with 7 points through the first quarter. The score being tied, White would come out of the game with a hand injury when one of his passes was deflected by a Colts defender. He would not come back for the rest of the game. 

With White out for the game, Wentz only had to give the ball to Taylor for first downs. Taylor ran for 172 yards on 19 carries scoring 2 touchdowns. By the end of the 3rd quarter, the Colts didn’t play as hard on both sides of the ball because they had a huge lead, 42-16 to be exact. 

Wentz really showed up and learned his lesson after the disappointing loss last week. He didn’t force any passes that weren’t there Thursday night. His good decision making resulted in impressive stats where he was 22 for 30 completions to attempts, threw for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns. 

The only thing left for the Colts this weekend is to sit back and hope that the LA Rams can stop the intensity of the Titans offense.

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Colts Can Never Closeout

Image By: coltswire.usatoday.com

Heartbreaking defeat at home for Wentz and the Colts after leading by 14 points seems to be the story every week. Once again, Indianapolis had a 14 to nothing lead after one quarter, but instead of kicking the team out, they decided to let the opposing team come back and steal away a victory in overtime 34-31. 

Wentz played a solid first half performance throwing 2 touchdown passes to Michael Pittman Junior. While Tannehill threw 2 interceptions in the same half and the Colts lead was only 17-14. The Colts had stopped Derrick Henry on the ground which is always the first mission but so many stars, A.J. Brown was targeted 11 times for 10 catches and 155 yards according to The Score. 

All around is a fairly evenly matched game, the Colts lost the lead but were tied 24-24 late in the 4th quarter when Wentz threw his first interception with under 2 minutes left. The Colts should have lost but with extreme calmness, Wentz tied the game backup 31-31 heading to overtime. 

In overtime, both teams had to punt early so whoever scored a field goal would win the game. Wentz led a decent charge but tried to force a 25 yard throw leading to his second interception of the day and concealing a heartbreaking defeat to the division leader.

The moral of the defeat for Wentz was to make better decisions with that much pressure. Tannehill also had 2 interceptions but his were in the first half, not the 4th quarter and overtime when it counted. But for now, brush it off and get ready for the New York Jets at home Thursday night. 

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National Tight Ends Day

The men on the end of the line of scrimmage need attention too. Last Sunday was National Tight End Day, which meant the Indianapolis Colts were celebrating Kylen Granson, Mo-Allie Cox, and Jack Doyle. These boys block for the offense but also come in clutch with either the small yardage 3rd downs and sometimes the big plays down field. 

The newest of the Colts tight ends is Granson. He was drafted in the 4th round, 127th pick in 2021 according to NFL.com. As of right now, he is a multipurpose player starting on special teams. 

The all-star on offense is Cox. According to the NFL, Cox is having one of his best seasons. He has 4 touchdowns and 177 yards. In the last 3 years besides this season, he’s had 4 touchdowns and 620 yards combined. Cox has been a great target for Wentz because he stands at 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds. His greatest strength is his speed and toughness after the catch.

Last but not least is the veteran Doyle. Doyle has played 9 seasons with the Colts since being an undrafted free agent in 2013 according to the Colts website. His best season with the Colts was back in 2016 when he scored 5 touchdowns and 584 yards according to the NFL. He hasn’t played much this season missing the last 3 games with back problems according to NBC Sports Edge. 

Every player is valuable on the Colts roster and in the NFL. Players are all equal regardless of skill and talent. They play for the love of the game.

Image By: Sports Illustrated 

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SMH SNF

Soggy wet weather calls for sloppy plays in Levi’s Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers hosted the Indianapolis Colts Sunday night in a nonstop rain storm. A forecast of a three-hour downpour and constant wind was the common denominator in both teams making simple errors on offense. 

The 49ers looked incredibly solid in the first drive, moving the ball down the field in 8 plays going 78 yards and scoring 6 points. When the Colts got the ball, running back Jonathan Taylor fumbled on their first play, resulting in a 49ers field goal. Wentz and Taylor would recover. Mo Allie-Cox would get the Colts on the board, and score the first touchdown after 10 minutes of playing. 

 After Taylor’s fumble, he rolled over the defense with 107 yards on 18 carries according to The Score. The real dagger in the game was when Wentz threw a 28-yard dime of a pass to Michael Pittman Jr. with 2 minutes left in the game. Pittman helped Wentz on the receiving end. He was targeted 4 times for 4 receptions for 105 yards. 

 The Colts out played the 49ers on every down after the first quarter. The Colts were 6 for 14 on 3rd down while the 49ers were 1 for 11 on 3rd down. Overall the Colts played a solid football game, but they will need to play a better game against the Tennessee Titans in Indianapolis. The Titans annihilated the offensive powerhouse Chiefs and limited them to 3 points with the final score being 27-3. As of right now the Titans stand at 5-2 whereas the Colts are 3-4. It’ll take a miracle to stop Derrick Henry from running through the Colts defense on Sunday.

Image By: https://coltswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/24/colts-michael-pittman-jr-touchdown-highlight-49ers-nfl-week-7-dagger/ 

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Stronger Than a Losing Record

The 3 weeks of preseason the Colts were 3-0, now after 6 games, the Colts are 2-4. The Colts have won 2 of their last 3 games, and the one loss in between the 2 wins was an overtime defeat. Basically saying the Colts are playing really good football lately.

In their first 3 losses to the Seahawks, Rams, and Titans, the Colts lost by 12 points or less. They put up good scores, losing 28-16, 27-24, and 26-16 according to Score Mobile. 

Over the last 6 games, Carson Wentz has completed 64 percent of his passes, 124/192 for a total of 1,545 yards. Wentz has thrown 9 touchdown passes and 1 interception for a quarterback rating of 54 which is 17th overall. To compare that to the rest of the NFL, the quarterback in first is Matthew Stafford at 75 and in last is Zach Willson at 22.1. 

An NFL article written by Adam Schein, where Schein ranked the top 9 defenses. The Colts ranked 3rd in that list where Schein said,

“I love the Colts defense, led by energetic and smart coordinator Matt Eberflus. The man gets the most out of the defensive talent at his disposal -- and there's plenty of it heading into the 2021 campaign.”

The Colts have playmakers on both sides of the line of scrimmage that will need to make an impact in week 7’s upcoming game against the 49ers in San Francisco.

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-s-top-nine-defenses-in-2021-rams-and-bucs-reign-supreme-but-broncos-have-imm

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A True Team Leader

The Colts as a team are fairly solid on both sides of the ball, but communication, with the whole team being on the same page comes from one man, Darius Leonard. Leonard was selected in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft as the 36th overall pick in 2018 according to the Colts website. At 26 years old, Leonard has spent four seasons with the Colts. The 230 pound linebacker leads the team with 2 interceptions. According to the Colts website, Leonard is ranked as the 37th best player in the NFL Network's top 100 players of 2021 list, which is voted on by players. 

Leonard had an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a quarterback hit on Sunday. Nothing got past Leonard on Sunday. The defense allowed the Texans to 3 points on Sunday. According to Score Mobile, the Colt’s defense is ranked 11th in points allowed at 21.8. 

In Leonard’s own words,

“My best physical trait is to run sideline to sideline. A lot of linebackers can’t do that, and I can play in space. I was the 36th pick, every other team missed out and believed someone else was better than me. So I have a chip on my shoulder to prove that I am someone you should have had.” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdPi0DkvnAk

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The Best Smackdown Against a Conference Team

Indianapolis Colts annihilate the Texans at home after a disappointing loss 6 days ago. The best pain medicine after a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore is to come back home and put up 31 points against the Texans. The Texans were not shut out though, they were able to score one field goal in the second quarter. 

Indianapolis had a qb rating of 127.7 according to Score Mobile because he was 11 for 20 on completions to attempts, threw for 223 yards and threw 2 touchdowns. On the other side of the field, Houston quarterback, David Mills had a qb rating of 62.5 because he was 29 for 43 on completions to attempts, threw for 243 yards, did not throw any touchdowns but threw 2 interceptions. 

Running back, Johnathan Taylor got it done on the ground as well. Taylor carried the ball 14 times, rushed for 145 yards and scored 2 touchdowns. According to Score Mobile, Taylor’s average carry yardage was 10.4 yards. The fans were also in full attendance. At Lucas Oil Stadium, 57,947 Colts and Texans fans flooded the seats. 

The 2-4 Colts are now 2nd in the AFC South behind the 3-2 Tennessee Titans. The Colts will be traveling to San Francisco to face the 2-3 49ers that are coming off a bye week.

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Huge Lead Results in Tough Loss

The Indianapolis Colts blew a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter. The Baltimore Ravens were favored to win rightfully so. They were coming off a 23-7 win over the Denver Broncos, they were playing at home, and have a winning record of 3-1. On the other end, the Colts found their first win after 3 losses. 

To start the game, the Colts won the coin toss and chose to play defense. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, took the field but was not in it long because the Colts defense led by Darius Leonard and DeForest Buckner shut Jackson down to just 5 yards of offense. 

Once quarterback Carson Wentz had the ball, he played smart and well. After completing one first down, Wentz threw a screen pass to running back, Jonathan Taylor, who ran it 76 yards for a touchdown. At the half, it was 10-3 Colts.

The 3rd quarter is where the Colts showed bruit strength and strategy. The Colts scored 2 touchdowns, the first was a 3 minute drive down the field and the second was a rushing touchdown by Taylor. Unfortunately Blankenship struggled greatly missing both extra points to the left. According to the NFL, the Colts were 220-0 when leading by 16 points or more in the 4th quarter since 1954. 

The only thing that could have gone bad, would be Jackson taking his team to an incredible comeback. After being down 25-9 and only 15 minutes to play, Jackson did just that. Jackson threw 2 passing touchdowns to Mark Andrews. Jackson went for 2 point conversions on both and completed both, totalling a 16 point comeback. With a tie ball game, the Colts have the ball with 35 seconds left. Wentz was able to run 6 plays to get the Colts in field goal range. All Blankenship had to do was make a 47 yard field goal. Needless to say he missed it left again.

In overtime, the Ravens won the coin toss, Jackson ran 10 plays and scored a touchdown. Even though most of the fault was on Blankenship, the offense and defense could have given a better effort as well.  

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First of Many Wins

Image By: Brett Mock, Stampede Blue

After a rocky 0-3 start, the Colts secured a 27-17 win against the Miami Dolphins in Miami. The star of the show was Colts quarterback, Carson Wentz. 

According to The Score, Wentz was 24-32 on completions for a total of 228 yards and threw 2 touchdowns for a qb rating of 115.1. Jonathan Taylor was getting done on the ground as well. The Score also says Taylor had 16 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown. 

The first half was pretty uneventful with the halftime score being 7-3 in favor of the Colts. But the third and fourth quarters is when Wentz went to work. Number 81 for the Colts, Mo-Allie Cox was on the receiving end of both touchdowns. The first passing touchdown was 3 yards in the third quarter to Cox. And at the end of the 3rd quarter Blankenship nails a 34 yard field goal.

In the 4th quarter, Blankenship drained another field goal from 43 yards away and second touchdown to Cox from 11 yards out. The Colts took advantage of Miami turnovers. The Dolphins had fumbled 3 times, 2 of them recovered by the Colts. 

Overall the Colts dominated most statistics. According to The Score, the Colts had 20 first downs to the Dolphins 13, they were 6-15 on 3rd down versus the Dolphins 3-11. The Colts had 139 rushing yards to the Dolphins, resounding 35 yards, and the Colts had 0 turnovers to the Dolphins 3 turnovers. 

If Wentz can replicate these statistics on offense and if the defense can stop the run of Lamar Jackson, the Colts have a chance to win 2 straight games with a win against the Ravens tomorrow night. 

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An Extra Day to Prep

Indianapolis Colts have their first win under their belt after beating the Miami Dolphins in Miami. But that win is bittersweet because with 8 days of rest comes the Monday night game against the fierce Baltimore Ravens. What really matters is how the Colts prepare for the offensive display that is led by 3rd year quarterback, Lamar Jackson. 

The 3-1 Ravens lead their conference in the AFC North over the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Their first loss was in their first game against the Las Vegas Raiders where they lost 33-27 in overtime. Since then, they have won 3 straight games in the last 3 weeks. 

The Colts on the other hand, lost their first 3 games. They had a tough schedule out of the gate with losses to the Seahawks, Rams, and Titans. But according to ESPN, 

“What Carson Wentz did on Sunday, moved them in the right direction.” 

Wentz, first year quarterback for the Colts, played outside of his comfort zone on Sunday and went on the run, setting his team up for more points. For tomorrow night’s sake, he will need to continue forward progress to stop Jackson from taking the field.

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The Nerdiest Player is the Coolest

The first week's player spotlight is my favorite player, kicker Rodrigo “Hot Rod” Blankenship. He is from Marietta, Georgia at 24 years old playing his second year with the colts. He is not the biggest player but good size for a kicker, standing at 6-foot-1 and 189 pounds. Blankenship is 1 inch taller than the average NFL kicker according to Reddit NFL. 

Blankenship was a star kicker in high school. According to 247Sports, Blankenship was ranked No. 9 overall kicker in the country in 2015. In his freshman year playing for the Georgia Bulldogs he went 14-18 in field goals and 26-26 on extra points according to Sports Casting. Fast forward to 2020, he signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent. 

A lot of people don’t see him as an NFL kicker at first glance. But his glasses are what got him national media attention. According to Sports Casting, fans see hints of this on the field, as he unabashedly sports rec specs. In his spare time, he also purportedly plays video games, assembles LEGO Star Wars sets, has amassed an army of Transformers, and boasts a collection of over 1,600 WWII figurines. 

Overall, a really cool, talented athlete that is genuine and kind to fellow teammates and opponents. Hot Rod gets it done on the field.