If somebody had told me in July that the Colts would not only make the playoffs but win their first round, I would have questioned their sanity. But here they are, coming off a playoff win in Houston against the Texans. Not only did they win but they dominated. Andrew Luck sliced the Texan defense like a skilled surgeon. The Colts offensive line blew the vaunted Texan defensive front seven like a tornado. Led by rookie battering ram Quenton Nelson, they kept Luck’s uniform clean and opened running lanes for Marlon Mack to gain 148 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown. That’s the most yards any Colt running back has ever gained in a playoff game in team history. Eric Ebron added his 13th touch catch of the year.
It was the defense, however, that led the charge. Darius Leonard added 13 tackles to his resume and showed a national audience why he is an All Pro in his rookie year. Cornerback Kenny Moore was a thorn in DeShaun Watson’s side all game long. The Houston quarterback was unable to get the Texans offense going, and Moore’s final interception finished the game and sealed the Horseshoe victory. The whole defense stepped up and gave it their best effort. Colts fans have appreciated the efforts of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus all season long, but now the rest of the league is catching on as his name has been mentioned as a possible head coaching candidate.
We couldn’t have gotten a better head coach than Frank Reich. His work at turning the team around has been brilliant. I’m thinking that before it’s all over he will be right up there with Tony Dungy as one the great Colts head coaches of all time. And Chris Ballard may just be the best GM in the league right now.
So now we go to Kansas City to play the Chiefs next weekend. This is no small feat. The Chief offense can put chills down the spine of any defensive coordinator. The Colts are a 6 point underdog. That’s good! The Horseshoe responses best to a challenge. So let’s go BIG BLUE!
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