The Indianapolis Colts (6-6) are falling further out of the playoff race following the devastating collapse that led to a 31-17 home loss against the Tennessee Titans (7-5) on Sunday.
Now the ninth seed in the AFC playoff race, the Colts are seeing their hopes for the postseason come crashing down. In the loss, the Colts had some bright spots but there were also some concerns that were made known in a big way.
Here is the stock report for the Colts in the Week 13 loss:
Stock up: RB Jordan Wilkins
It seemed the Colts had the temporary replacement for Marlon Mack in the form of Jonathan Williams, who was trying to record his third-consecutive 100-yard game against the Titans. Despite that, he had a very short leash and the Colts weren’t afraid to take him out of the game.
Stepping in for Williams was Wilkins, who has been dealing with some injuries that have kept him off the field. He came back strong to lead the backfield in snaps (44%) while also leading the unit in carries (11) and rushing yards (47).
It wasn’t an extremely explosive day for Wilkins but he showed he was definitely the hot hand in the backfield. It will be interesting to see if this gives him the starter’s role over Williams.
Stock Down: RB Jonathan Williams
As Jordan Wilkins saw his stock rise with a strong performance, Williams conversely saw his stock plummet. Despite the two consecutive 100-yard games, Williams was shockingly on a short leash. He took just eight carries for 14 yards while playing just 16 snaps (22%)—the fewest out of the backfield.
Williams has shown he is talented and has the skillset to be a solid power runner in the Colts’ run scheme, but he didn’t have it on Sunday. Maybe he needed to get it more of a groove—it should be noted he started slow against the Texans in Week 12 and wound up with 104 yards.
Williams is still a favorite in the eyes of the coaching staff. One game won’t change that. But his stock did take a hit due to the lack of production and the lowered snap count.
Stock Up: LB Bobby Okereke
The Colts linebacker corps has proven not only to be a young strength, but the development of the depth pieces is beginning to show through as well. Okereke put that on full display Sunday while also coming through with a huge play in the first quarter.
Coming through on a blitz, Okereke chased down Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill for a sack but instead of simply taking him down, the rookie third-round pick also went for the ball and was able to force it out. Veteran defensive end Justin Houston recovered the fumble.
The Stanford product also played roughly half of the snaps (29) on Sunday, which shows the Colts are getting more comfortable using three linebackers in the middle of the field.
Stock Down: DE Ben Banogu
The Colts pass rush was on one on Sunday. They had five sacks in the first half alone. The group stalled a bit during the second half, but they still got great production from the front seven. However, the rookie in Banogu still isn’t making any lasting impact from the edge.
Some of it isn’t really his fault. The TCU product saw just 11 snaps (18%) on the defensive side of the ball. But that is an issue in and of itself as well. The role for the third defensive end is wide open for Banogu behind Jabaal Sheard and Justin Houston, but it doesn’t appear the Colts are totally comfortable using him outside of a situational pass-rushing role.
Banogu is young and pass rushers can take time to develop. But his stock took a hit as he continues to be pigeon-holed into a role that doesn’t allow for much production.
