The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) saw their already-thin playoff hopes get dashed Sunday when they lost 38-35 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) at Raymond James Stadium.
This was by far the most thrilling game of the season for the Colts. There were countless lead changes, including three in the first half. The Colts took a 27-21 lead but found themselves outscored `17-8 in the second half for the loss.
Here are the studs and duds from the Week 14 loss:
STUD: WR Marcus Johnson
The Colts were once again without T.Y. Hilton, who may not even play this season due to a lingering calf injury. However, the Colts got some help with their depth thanks to the performance of Johnson.
Starting the game off with a 46-yard touchdown catch from Jacoby Brissett, it looked like the Colts would move the ball through the air with ease. It wasn’t easy, but Johnson still had a strong day. He finished with three catches on seven targets for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Adding to the room will be necessary this offseason, but Johnson is a formidable depth piece.
DUD: CB Pierre Desir
It was a bad day for the entire secondary. From blown coverages to massive holes in the zone scheme, the Colts simply couldn’t find a way to stop Jameis Winston from setting a career-high 456 passing yards. Desir found himself on the wrong end of the play on a few occasions.
The biggest one comes in the form of the 61-yard touchdown he allowed while covering Mike Evans. Immediately beaten off the line, Evans easily ran by Desir on the go route and ended up with a bomb touchdown to give the Bucs their first lead of the day.
Desir also had a chance to make up for the bad coverage in the fourth quarter when Winston almost gifted him an interception. However, Desir couldn’t haul it in, and the Bucs converted a field goal to cut the lead.
STUD: LB Darius Leonard
The Maniac was all over the place on Sunday. He started his day with an interception against Winston on the latter’s first pass attempt. That helped the Colts score on their first drive of the game.
His biggest play came in the second quarter, though. Baiting as if he were blitzing through the A-gap, Leonard pulled back into coverage and intercepted another pass from Winston. He took it 80 yards to the house to give the Colts a 10-point lead in the second quarter.
The second-year linebacker has been on fire recently and continued his hot streak on Sunday.
DUD: DT Denico Autry
The Colts haven’t been a terrible pass-rushing unit this season, but they haven’t been great either. Part of that is the lack of interior pressure generating from the three-technique. That falls on Autry, and it showed again on Sunday.
Autry was nearly nowhere to be found throughout the game. He had a tackle at the line of scrimmage, but most of his rushes were stifled before he could make a real impact on Jameis Winston. The tape will reveal his true performance but to the naked eye, he didn’t appear to have that impact.
Autry hasn’t looked like the Pro-Bowl caliber pass rusher the Colts got in 2018, and his inability to collapse the top of the pocket hurt the Colts on Sunday.
STUD: WR Zach Pascal
The Colts desperately needed their wide receiver corps to step up in a big way against the NFL’s worst passing defense against the position. It’s safe to say the duo of Pascal and Marcus Johnson showed up.
Though it took him a bit longer to get going, Pascal finished with another fine performance. He led the team in targets (9) and receptions (5) while his 74 receiving yards were second on the team. He also added a clutch touchdown reception in the third quarter to give their Colts the biggest lead of the day.
It has truly been a breakout performance for the third-year wide receiver, and he continues to cement his role in the offense.
