The Indianapolis Colts (7-8) enjoyed a blowout 38-6 win over the Carolina Panthers (5-10) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium to snap a four-game losing streak.
The final home game of the season was the team’s most dominating win of the season. They played sound football in all three phases and especially on special teams, which was a nice surprise.
Here are the five biggest studs from the Week 16 win:
RB Nyheim Hines
Hines didn’t do his damage on the offensive side of the ball, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t impact the score. No, Hines was electric as the return man taking not one but two punts back for touchdowns. He finished the day with three punt returns for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
Hines got his day started with a 40-yard punt return, which led to an eventual touchdown for the Colts. Then he followed his next return with an 84-yard touchdown and in the fourth quarter capped off his career day with a 71-yard return for a touchdown.
CB Pierre Desir
There were so many opportunities for Desir to come away with turnovers and while he missed on a few chances in the first half, he certainly made up for it in the second half. Desir went on to grab two interceptions in the fourth quarter to add to what was already a solid day.
The veteran was strong in coverage even when he wasn’t grabbing picks. He was finding the ball with ease and making plays throughout the entire day. It was a nice bounce-back game in what has been a down year for the 28-year-old.
RB Marlon Mack
The offensive line certainly deserves credit for their strong performance. They paved the way to 183 rushing yards on 26 carries from the backfield, which averages out to 7.04 yards per carry on the day. However, Mack was the leader of the group.
The third-year back took 16 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. His 30-yard run helped him eclipse the 1,000-yard mark on the season for the first time in his career.
It should be noted that Jordan Wilkins also had a day taking nine carries for 84 yards and a touchdown.
DE Justin Houston
General manager Chris Ballard has found some gems in free agency over his three-year tenure thus far but among the players at the top of the list has to be Houston. The veteran recorded another sack and now has 10 on the season—this is the fourth time in his career he’s achieved double-digit sacks.
While Houston only came away with the one sack, he set a strong edge and was generating pressure throughout the entire day. He also came up with another huge fourth-down stop—his second of the day—on a Will Grier sneak.
LB Anthony Walker
It was a solid day for Walker, who was pretty productive in the middle of the defense. He finished with eight solo tackles, good for second-most on the defense while also recording an interception, a sack and he was big on the fourth-down stop with Justin Houston.
Walker has been more good than bad this season, and this was another outing that should go in the former column. The third-year linebacker is now closing in on his second 100-tackle season in a row.
