Against all odds, the Indianapolis Colts (1-1-1) got their first win of the season in a 20-17 upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs (2-1) at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was a fantastic outing for the defense—the kind that presents some hope for the rest of the season. However, the offensive line is still struggling at an increasingly alarming rate.
The rookies came up big, and the Colts showed they can still get the job done as underdogs.
Here are the studs and duds from the shocking 20-17 win in Week 3:
STUD: DE Yannick Ngakoue
The Colts’ pass rush as a whole was on point against the Chiefs offensive line. The entire starting four for the Colts had a strong game. Ngakoue finally showed us why the Colts traded for him this offseason. Even though he finished with one sack, he logged two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss and was constantly applying pressure from the edge. It was a very encouraging outing after a slow start to the season.
DUD: LT Matt Pryor
The experiment with Pryor at left tackle has not gone well. That’s putting it nicely. Pryor looks lost in all phases of pass protection. Even when he’s getting help with chips, he’s still allowing pressure. The communication on stunts simply isn’t there, and the offensive line as a whole seems to have no idea how to slide towards a blitz. The Colts need rookie Bernhard Raimann to get healthy because this offense can’t last with Pryor at left tackle.
STUD: TE Jelani Woods
The rookie tight end only had two receptions on the day, but both of them were extremely impactful. Woods got the party started by scoring the first touchdown of the game after the Chiefs muffed a punt in the first quarter. Then, Woods made a beautiful contested catch with 24 seconds remaining to give the Colts the lead and eventual win.
DUD: RT Braden Smith
Yup, we’re sticking with the offensive line. Smith was nearly just as bad as Pryor on the other side of the ball. One of the highest-paid offensive tackles in the league, Smith hasn’t looked like himself going all the way back to the start of the 2020 season. All day long, he struggled in pass protection on the edge and kept Matt Ryan under pressure.
STUD: WR Alec Pierce
The rookies were out in full force Sunday. Pierce only had three receptions, but they were big ones. His first reception was a 17-yard gain, the longest for the Colts on the day at the time. Then, he had a beautiful 30-yard catch down the sideline when the Colts were at their own one-yard line. Later in the game on the final drive for the Colts, Pierce had a 14-yard catch to get the Colts into the red zone. That helped set up Woods’ go-ahead touchdown. It was a strong outing for the rookie.
DUD: RG Danny Pinter
This is how bad the Colts offensive line was. Pinter doesn’t look comfortable at all whether he’s run blocking or in pass protection. He’s still developing as a player, but he is a liability for the Colts at right guard right now in both phases of the game.
STUD: DT Grover Stewart
What more can we say about this man? Stewart has developed into an elite interior defensive lineman. He’s one of the biggest reasons why the Colts have an elite run defense to begin the season. He may have recorded only two tackles, but he was constantly blowing up run plays and keeping the Chiefs from running the football.
