A 20-point win on the road in the NFL is a pretty good way to avoid a trap game. And that’s exactly what the Indianapolis Colts needed to do.
Heading into a four week stretch where they will face Baltimore, Green Bay, and Tennessee (twice), the Colts took care of business by dominating the Detroit Lions 41-21 and now quickly have to put it in the rear view mirror.
The big questions heading into Sunday’s game was the run on both sides. Would the Colts get back to their “Run The Damn Ball” mentality, and could they stop the combination of Adrian Peterson and D’Andre Swift?
Mission accomplished on both ends. Monday on The Dan Dakich Show, DD welcomed good friend of the program Sean Salisbury to break down the Colts performance.
Not only did the Colts hold Peterson and Swift to just eight combined rush yards, but they also put the Lions in a position where Detroit rushed the ball only 13 times. Indianapolis took 39 running plays.
“Aside from turnovers, there may not be a more telling statistic in football than rushing attempts,” Salisbury explained. “The Colts jumped on them early and had a lead. Philip Rivers was relatively clean and they spread the ball around. Then they took Detroit out of it and all (the Lions) did was drop back and throw. When you run the ball 39 to 13, not only will you win games, but your quarterback will be in great position for play-action.”
Having a breakout performance on the ground was third-string running back Jordan Wilkins. In the past two games versus Cleveland and Cincinnati, Wilkins had a combined two carries. But on Sunday, Wilkins was the leading rusher with 20 touches, 89 yards and a touchdown. Jonathan Taylor took 11 carries with 22 yards. And Nyheim Hines was a force in the receiving game with two touchdowns and an epic end zone back flip.
The AFC South is now wide open as Indianapolis jumped into a tie for first place after the Titans lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. Considering the Blue and White led their biggest comeback of the year against the Bengals, and that they just defeated Tennessee, the Colts owe Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor a very nicely written Christmas card in December.
“When all is said and done, the defense will be a strength in January,” Salisbury added. “The Colts team I saw yesterday is a team that will make the playoffs and you’ll have to prepare hard for them. But Tennessee is not going to go away, and Derrick Henry in the second half of the season always gets better. That can be dangerous for other teams.”
This is the Colts group fans and media alike expected to see at the start of the year. Frank Reich’s crew is confident, but the next four games will be a gauntlet.
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