The last two weekends have seen our Indianapolis Colts take on two of the league’s top contending teams and come out victorious. The Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys both fell between the Horseshoe onslaught. In both cases it was the defense that led the way. After being humiliated by the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars three weeks ago in Jacksonville, the Colts grabbed hold of themselves and took care of business. In Houston the Colts defense put pressure on Texan quarterback Deshaun Watson with five sacks. Two by red hot defensive tackle Denico Autry. Rookie linebacker Darius Leonard once again terrorized the opponent offense and continued to make a case for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Offensively, T. Y. Hilton grabbed 9 passes for 199 yards. Mr. Luck was his usual self — cool under pressure and making plays that had to be made. The Texans will win the division but they got a real scare from the Indy boys.
The Cowboys had been on a five game tear. They could have put the NFC East title away with a win but they hit a brick wall. Marlon Mack ripped the ‘Boys defense for 139 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns. It’s been a long time since a Colts back put those kind of numbers in a game. The return of center Ryan Kelly to the starting lineup had a great deal to do with that. The Horseshoe pivot is a monster and was having a Pro Bowl type season before going on the IR with a knee injury. Without him the running game was stuck in the mud. With his return to duty . . . well you see what Mack did.
Defensively the Colts took it to the Cowboys, shutting down Ezekiel Elliott and making Dak Prescott miserable. Denico Autry was once again a force, blocking a kick, registering his ninth sack of the season and creating havoc in the trenches. I’m running out of superlatives to describe Darius Leonard’s play each week. He is the steal of the 2018 draft. Cornerbacks Pierre Desir and Kenny Moore shut down the Cowboy receivers. The result was a shutout for the Colts — their first since 2014. The Cowboys looked shell-shocked at the end.
General Manager Chris Ballard has done a great job of providing talent for the team. This may be the most productive rookie class that the team has ever had. Free agent signings tight end Eric Ebron and defensive lineman Denico Autry have been great additions to the roster. Head coach Frank Reich has done wonders taking a group of rookies and no-name veterans, and turning them into a competitive team. His work in resurrecting Andrew Luck’s career has been phenomenal. Luck is back and he is better than ever: confident, poised, and commanding. Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has been a godsend. His work in turning what was a sad sack unit into a hardnose, take-no-prisoners wild bunch has been little short of amazing. He is a strong candidate to be named Assistant Coach of the Year. All these guys are responsible for the Horseshoe turnaround
There are two games left in the regular season. We have the New York Giants at home Sunday, Dec. 23. The Giants are 4-10 and are having a disastrous season. Sort of like the Jags, three weeks ago remember? The team can take nothing for granted. Then there’s the final game of the regular season against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. The Titans are tough and are also in the hunt for a playoff spot. Look for this game to get nationally televised. There are other things that have to happen. The Baltimore Ravens have to lose one of their two remaining games. However one of the games is with the Steelers. There are a lot of ifs, but we have to win our last two games. So good luck to the team and the fans!
snicewanger@gmail.com