As the Indianapolis Colts (2-2) reach the quarter pole of the 2019 season, they will be faced with a big challenge in the second half coming out of their bye week.
Currently sitting with a 2-2 record with one more game remaining before the bye week, the Colts have had a mixed bag when it comes to who has performed well and who has failed to meet expectations.
Here are the Colts’ studs and duds from the first quarter of the regular season:
STUD: QB Jacoby Brissett
Some believe that Brissett hasn’t shown enough to warrant the two-year deal he signed before the season. The numbers and the film say otherwise. Sure, there are still some growing pains that Brissett is working through, but he’s shown that he can lead this offense against playoff-caliber teams.
Just take a look at his on-pace stats for the season. He’s currently on pace for 40 touchdown passes to just eight interceptions while posting a 102.1 passer rating. The ceiling of the offense might not be as high, but he’s still putting up very strong numbers.
Brissett needs to improve in some areas, but he has been everything the Colts could have wanted when dealing with the fall out of Andrew Luck’s retirement.
DUD: WR Deon Cain
Though he is likely still working his way fully back from the torn ACL that claimed his rookie season, Cain hasn’t been able to do much with the opportunity the Colts have given him through the first four games.
At the quarter pole, Cain has recorded just three catches on 11 targets for 45 yards. His lack of productivity has been due to a combination of Brissett looking elsewhere for targets and inconsistency in separation.
There is still plenty of time for Cain to show that he’s developing. No one is expecting him to be a 1,000-yard wide receiver right now, but he has to show that he’s growing and developing—something he hasn’t done yet through four games.
STUD: RB Marlon Mack
The Colts said all offseason they were going to make a commitment to the run game, and it has paid off for the majority of the first quarter of the campaign. Mack has been the bellcow the Colts pegged him to be.
Through the first four games, Mack has taken 72 carries for 338 yards and two touchdowns while playing 68% of the team’s offensive snaps. Though he’s dealing with an ankle injury right now, the third-year back has proven he can carry the load in the backfield.
As long as he stays healthy, Mack should be in line for a monster campaign.
DUD: RG Mark Glowinski
It hasn’t been all bad for Glowinski, but there have been far too many times that the right side of the offensive line has allowed pressure on Brissett or penetration into the backfield.
Glowinski’s best asset in 2018 was his consistency—especially as a run blocker. While he has not been terrible, he hasn’t shown the same type of consistency he did in the season that earned him a three-year extension.
The Colts offensive line is still the best unit on the roster, and Glowinski has been a part of the success. He just needs to be more consistent winning at the point of attack.
STUD: LG Quenton Nelson
Conversely, Nelson has been the same All-Pro talent that destroyed opposing defensive tackles during his rookie season. It’s hard to imagine Nelson getting better when he was already elite, but it is happening.
The Notre Dame product has been the driving force behind the success of the offensive line, and the Colts have been wise to gameplan the rushing attack behind him and left tackle Anthony Castonzo.
Nelson has also made improvements in his pass blocking through the first quarter of the season. The sky truly is the limit at Nelson approaches the title as the best guard in the NFL.
DUD: DT Tyquan Lewis
The Colts have been raving about Lewis since they drafted him in the second round in 2018, but the Ohio State product hasn’t been able to stay on the field. When he is on the field, he hasn’t been making an impact in the slightest.
The Colts have worked Lewis both at the three-technique and on the edge, but he’s recorded just one tackle. He hasn’t gotten a tackle for loss or a sack yet this season, and now he’s dealing with an ankle injury that could keep him out through the bye week.
Lewis has potential. There is no denying that. But he has failed to make the type of impact expected out of a highly-touted second-round pick.
STUD: WR T.Y. Hilton
If anyone thought the absence of Andrew Luck would negatively impact the production for Hilton, they were sadly mistaken. Ghost has been the MVP of the Colts offense, and that was proven when he missed the Week 4 matchup against the Oakland Raiders.
Still a big-play machine, Hilton has played in three games yet has put up some big numbers. He has 20 receptions for 195 yards and four touchdowns—all of which have come in the red zone.
The quad injury kept him out in Week 4, and it remains to be seen if he will suit up this week against the Chiefs. But Hilton has been a star for the Colts when on the field.
DUD: DE Kemoko Turay
Through the first four games of the season, the breakout campaign that appeared to be in the grasp of Turay’s hands might be on the back burner. He started off the season on a strong note with a sack in Week 1 but has done nothing since then.
He dealt with a neck injury that kept him out of Week 2, and the Colts have used him solely as a situational pass rusher in the last two weeks. He’s played just 13 snaps in each of the last two games for the Colts.
Going strictly off of the first four games of the season, Turay finds himself buried on the defensive end depth chart, and that could continue with the return of veteran Jabaal Sheard.
STUD: S Khari Willis
The Colts had an extremely heavy defensive draft class and while the big names like Ben Banogu, Rock Ya-Sin and Bobby Okereke will get the attention, Willis has been the one to outproduce all of them.
The safety out of Michigan State has quickly emerged as a starter in the defensive backfield for the Colts. He’s made plays coming downhill, and he’s had some nice plays in coverage resulting in a pass break up. Willis certainly has had his share of blunders, but that’s expected with a rookie.
The Colts will be without Malik Hooker for a few more weeks and Clayton Geathers is in the concussion protocol. Willis has the chance to prove he’s a part of the future at safety—just as he’s done through the first four games.
DUD: CB Quincy Wilson
Though he’s still a young cornerback developing his game, Wilson is in his third year and should have already begun showing growth. He hasn’t done so yet this season, and it is becoming a legitimate concern.
The Colts spent a second-round pick on Wilson hoping he could quickly become a starting corner on the boundary. That hasn’t happened and at this rate, there is a chance it doesn’t ever come to fruition.
Wilson has all of the tools to be a successful cornerback in the NFL but through the first four weeks of his third season, his future with the Colts is certainly coming with doubt.
