Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Win OT THRILLER, Sweep Tennessee Titans, 31-28

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Colts win an overtime thriller, and they rode the Gardner-Menshew experience all the way. Let's get to it. You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the day, everybody. This is your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And this episode is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed.

Starting point is 00:00:57 What is up, y'all? This is Jake Arthur and Zach Hicks. You know the two of us from HorseshoeHuddle.com. I unironically already owned this headband, but felt it was necessary to finally break it out in this instance because we're celebrating Gardner Minshew today. I know Zach put something out there on Twitter about not saying anything bad about him or something like that. Never again. Gardner Minshew is the savior of this team.

Starting point is 00:01:22 That bomb to Alec Pierce in overtime was just fantastic. For everything negative you could say about him throughout this game, I mean, look, at the end of the day, the Colts got the win, and he threw a dart there to Alec Pierce there in overtime. So yeah, no, I can't say anything negative about Gardner Minshew right now. That was just a fantastic win and a much-needed win over a divisional opponent. Oh God. Yeah. There was good. There was bad. We laughed, we cried, but the Colts have won four straight now. They're seven and five. They have kept their playoff hopes alive again, after those three straight losses, after the saints game, when it all looked lost, the script has been completely flipped.

Starting point is 00:02:03 This team is they is gritty. They can overcome some things. None of these wins are pretty. This is only the second time that they've got a nice total team effort, offense, defense. And special teams, Brian Mason's group came out, and they had their first just explosive performance. That's what he was known for in college, having special teams units, especially the coverage units that wreaked havoc. We haven't quite seen that yet, but they got two block punts today.

Starting point is 00:02:31 I know one of them is technically a fumble, but we all know the deal. But it was huge. They had to come back in the second half. It was a narrow game the whole time, but those two plays were massive in them coming back and winning the game. Really one of the more thrilling Colts games I can remember in a while. So back and forth, so crazy, you know, getting a touchdown, but then the two point conversion is returned for the Titans own two points.

Starting point is 00:02:56 And that was such a Colts play. Cause like they could have gone up, whatever it was, 24, 17, but of course, 22 to19 now. And then the game shrinks and it becomes even closer than it needs to. But man, this is a big one. Definitely reason for Colts fans to celebrate this one. Yeah, you know, again, I think our whole first segment here, we're just going to talk about how big of a win this is

Starting point is 00:03:19 because we saw it last year with Jim Irsay and kind of what was the final straws for the Frank Reich era and what was the final straws for that season in general was the losses to the Titans, the embarrassing losses to the Titans last year, where Jim Ursae, you know, is on record saying he hates losing to the Tennessee Titans. So for the Colts in the first year of the Shane Steichen era, with a backup quarterback playing seven of the eight quarters against the Tennessee Titans to beat them in both games to sweep the Tennessee Titans. Look, I know this is not the same Tennessee Titans team. They're not a great team this year. They're definitely

Starting point is 00:03:53 below their standard, but still at the end of the day, they're a tough, well-coached team. And for the Colts to win both these games this year, just a massive, massive improvement over last year for this Colts team. And it just shows how far they've come. I mean, again, last year this Colts team won four games. As of right now, they've won seven of 12, and they're going into a final stretch that can't push them into the playoffs despite having a backup quarterback, despite releasing Shaquille Leonard, despite losing Grover Stewart for a majority of the season,

Starting point is 00:04:19 despite all these other things, despite not having Jonathan Taylor for most of the season. This Indianapolis Colts team is resilient. They're a tough team. They swept the Tennessee Titans and they look like they're making it run towards the playoffs right now. There's not enough good things you can say about them. Look,

Starting point is 00:04:33 this is an ugly, ugly win. This was disgusting. When their offense did not perform well for most of the game, they couldn't get it done in the red zone. They couldn't get it done on third down. Their defense was getting run all over by Derek Henry and the Tennessee Titans. But at the end of the day, they won the game. You know what? That's what good teams do. They win the games they shouldn't win. This was a game the Colts had no

Starting point is 00:04:52 right winning, but they still won the game in the end because some guys stepped up. So I think this team is heading towards the playoffs. They look like they're playing like a playoff team right now. Again, not every game is going to be perfect, especially in these divisional games, but you've got to find a way to win ugly. And that's what the Colts did in a must-win game against the Tennessee Titans. Yeah, these division wins in such a tight race. The weight of these is so heavy. Of course, the sweep against Tennessee helps kind of counter what's going on against Jacksonville

Starting point is 00:05:19 this year. They have the win against Houston. They're holding the same record as Houston right now, and that tiebreaker that puts the Colts ahead of them is that win. They still have them in week 18, but these division wins, whether it's a good team like the Texans or Jaguars or a team that's been kind of a doormat like the Titans, it does not matter. You have to win these, and as we know, they have a pretty advantageous remainder of their schedule. You know, you've got Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, you got these teams coming up that they're winnable games, but you have to win those winnable games. And it looked like at least in the first half of

Starting point is 00:05:55 this one where it could be a letdown. So again, they're going to be favored the majority of the way, but they got to win them. Yeah. You know, not every game is going to be perfect. You're not going to have games like the Panthers game where you're just kind of in control that entire time or even the first Titans game where, you know, the first time the Colts played the Titans this season, the Colts were really in control for most of that game. I know it was only a seven point differential,

Starting point is 00:06:17 but the Colts really were kind of in control of that game from start to finish. This one was a battle. This one was a grinded out type of game where you needed some bounces to go your way, some pump blocks to go your way. You needed some deep shots to go your way. You needed some unlucky bounces on the other side to win it. But again, at the end of the day, you need to win ugly in the NFL at times.

Starting point is 00:06:38 Even the Philadelphia Eagles, who are sitting at 10 and one right now, have not won every single game in this perfect fashion where they're blowing every single team out. You know, they've had some wins over some bad teams. They've had some, you know,

Starting point is 00:06:49 they've had a loss to a bad team as well this year. So not every game is going to be perfect. There's a lot of parody in the NFL. The goal at the end of the day is just winning these games. And at the end of the day, the Colts won. So I, I'm not here to say,

Starting point is 00:07:00 you know, this player played horribly. This player did horribly. The Colts should have lost, whatever the Colts got the win. They're seven and five. They're sitting at the seven seed with their backup quarterback playing most of the season. And as most of you guys are saying here in the comment section, Shane Steichen coach of the year, I do think there's a really real, uh, just like argument for him right now. Again, which quarter, which coach around the league right now

Starting point is 00:07:21 has their team in the playoffs with a backup quarterback? And it's not like they're in the playoffs at like the NFC South or whatever with like a five-win team. They're in the playoffs at seven and five, and they could finish the season. I mean, again, a lot of things can happen down the stretch here, but they could finish the season with 10, 11, 12 wins with the way their schedule looks. Who's doing that with a backup quarterback around the NFL in this league? I mean, you're looking at the Bengals falling off with their backup quarterback. You're looking at all these other teams falling off with backup quarterbacks. The Colts are still finding ways to win with their backup quarterback. So I do think Shane Steichen, obviously D'Amico Ryans is doing a fantastic job

Starting point is 00:07:56 in Houston as well, but I think Shane Steichen has a really real chance at winning coach of the year with what he's doing with this Colts team. They're 4-0 over the past month, month and a half at this point, playing some really good football, and they're just finding ways to win. Exactly. This team, like, I guess they have an identity, but it's not like a flashy one. Their identity is just literally finding ways to win whatever it takes, like making timely big plays when it matters because they've kind of dug themselves

Starting point is 00:08:25 into a hole and they now need this really critical play to be made and it somehow happens so that's i mean that's pretty much it and to me that that looks like good coaching yeah because again you're the the player you hoped was going to be a superstar quarterback has not been there you've been without your biggest firepower on offense. Otherwise with Jonathan Taylor now for the majority of the year, his timeline looks like it could run through the end of the regular season. You know, Shaquille Leonard, that didn't pan out. So, you know, behind some timely plays on offense with some really gutsy, successful play calling,

Starting point is 00:09:01 a fearsome pass rush on defense and, you know, pretty good special teams, especially with the field goal unit. You find yourself continuing to climb over 500. And like you mentioned, Shane Steichen is coach of the year. I think it's a legit thing. Maybe he shouldn't be the front runner, but I think he should be in the conversation. Yeah, absolutely, guys. And coming up, we're going to talk about this Colts offense. We're going to talk about the two wide receivers that propelled the Colts to victory

Starting point is 00:09:25 and also talk about that final play in some detail. I know I don't have the all 22 yet, but I do think I kind of know what Shane Steichen was cooking with that very final play that led to the Colts victory. So we're going to talk about that here and coming up in just a second. But first, this show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Guys, I know it's that really tough time of year when it comes to gift giving, when it comes to having family over for the holidays or going to family for the holidays. It is a stressful time of year. You have no clue what to expect at family gatherings or what to expect when you go to these big line rushes at retail stores. I mean, I've

Starting point is 00:09:59 worked in retail for the last seven years. It is a hectic, hectic time of year, no matter what side of the aisle you are on. So whether or not your family gives gifts during the holidays, or you get to define, you know, you have to find a way to kind of define yourself on, you have to define yourself on how to give back to yourself this year. And the holidays are a great time to do that. So whether it's by starting therapy, going easier on yourself during the tough moments, or treating yourself to a day of complete rest, remember to give yourself some love this holiday season. Again, I've worked in retail for the last seven years. This time of year is always the most stressful time for me. That's why I shaved my head now because all the hair was falling out

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Starting point is 00:10:57 and switch therapists at any time for no additional charge. In the season of giving, give yourself what you need with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash locked on today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash locked on. All right, Jake, we're diving into this Colts offense. And, you know, efficiency wise, not the best game. You know, Zach Moss in the running game could not really get going.

Starting point is 00:11:23 Gardner Minshew, I think, had some really good moments. But for the most part, the offense wasn't particularly efficient. Like it was it was basically we're going to get to the red zone and stall out or we're going to go three and out. That was the entire offense in this game. Like it was there was no in between. There was no, you know, getting 20 yards and then punting. It was either three and out or get to the red zone and kick a field goal.

Starting point is 00:11:43 That was the Colts offense in this game. But two players really stood out in this one. Obviously Alec Pierce was the savior of this game, had that big touchdown catch in the first quarter to put the Colts tied up with the Titans early on, and then had that huge, huge long catch in overtime to give the Colts to go ahead. Touchdown two plays later.

Starting point is 00:12:03 And then Michael Pittman Jr. What he's been doing all season long, 11 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. He was the most efficient part of this Colts offense all day long, and he was able to cap it off with that touchdown late. But, I mean, look, Jake, we said all offseason that Pierce and Pittman are a really good one-two punch for Anthony Richardson, and obviously Richardson hasn't played a ton this year,

Starting point is 00:12:22 but we finally got to see what we expected from Pittman and Pierce where Pierce is that downfield guy the guy who's going to win vertically and get those big plays and Pittman's going to be that over the middle short game guy who's going to get some yards after the catch we finally got to see our preseason predictions with these two wide receivers right yeah

Starting point is 00:12:40 it's finally looking like it's supposed to like Pittman gets a lot of the receptions but in terms of yardage Pierce is going to get those huge chunk plays. And honestly, what's refreshing is I don't want to say it's the rookie wall or whatever it is, but recently Josh Downs' production has slowed down a little bit. But they've been able to overcome that with some things. You know, Alec Pierce is kind of on the way up.

Starting point is 00:13:03 Kylan Granson did some really nice things today, 72 yards. The tight ends are kind of doing their thing, picking up some things. You know, Alec Pierce is kind of on the way up. Kylan Granson did some really nice things today, 72 yards. The tight ends are kind of doing their thing, picking up some slack. So that's what you want to see. If one area, you know, Josh Downs has played a really important role this year. You don't want to see production in the offense totally go away when that happens. So yeah, Michael Pittman Jr., he's had what, eight, nine, ten catches For a number of games in a row now With five games remaining He already has broken Marvin Harrison's record For most receptions by Colts player in the first four seasons

Starting point is 00:13:37 That's really impressive I mean, Marvin Harrison is an all-timer So that guy is incredibly productive He's moving the chains for the Colts, picking up extra yards after the catch, which was always his bread and butter coming into the NFL. So it's really refreshing. And for Alec Pierce, I know for you personally, that's your brand.

Starting point is 00:13:56 These big plays that have always been envisioned, they're finally coming to fruition. And it was with the game on the line. I mean, they needed every single point. That 36-yard touchdown at the beginning of the game on the line i mean they needed every single point that 36 yard touchdown at the beginning of the game incredibly critical the 55 yarder in overtime even bigger wasn't a touchdown but it allowed them to to get the game winning score so this is exactly what you want to see obviously a hundred yards every game and 11 receptions for Pittman isn't attainable every week even though he's

Starting point is 00:14:25 trying but I mean whatever that scale is production wise it's looking great yeah you know I want to touch on Alec Pierce real quick before we jump to some other players but you know we've kind of talked in this podcast where like look Pierce has been open down the field all season long like there have been chances there that the Colts just not taken and whether that's with Mins Minshew or with Richardson at quarterback, they just haven't taken those shots down to Pierce when he's been open and when there have been some plays schemed up for him. And we kind of talked about in recent weeks, how Pierce has had to mold his game in a very different way in order to be effective in this offense. Still, he's had to turn into Zach Paschal the last handful of weeks. I mean, the last month of football, Alec Pierce has been very

Starting point is 00:15:04 Zach Paschal in terms of opening things up for other players, in terms of being a really, really good blocker in the run game and in the quick passing game, in terms of catching those underneath passes and just getting first downs and getting those underneath chunk plays, just doing the very little things that are just not showing up in the scoreboard.

Starting point is 00:15:21 You know, being a guy who is going to finish a game with two catches for 18 yards, but have multiple critical blocks and have multiple clear out routes where guys are getting open underneath. And he was fine with that. You know, he was a guy who obviously wants more targets, but he was finding his own niche in this role in this offense, despite his role being not the Alec Pierce role. Today, we finally got to see the Alec Pierce role. This is

Starting point is 00:15:45 Alec Pierce today. This is not Zach Paschal that we saw today. This was Alec Pierce on the outside. We saw the two big plays. Obviously, he could have had even more. Gardner Minshew missed him on another touchdown in the second quarter. I think it was the second quarter he missed him on that would have been deep touchdown. 65 yards. Yeah. Yeah. First quarter also missed him in the end zone, which could have been another touchdown for pierce so we could have been looking at like a very legendary performance from alec pierce today if all those would have hit but at the end of the day that's that's life as a deep threat receiver you're not going to get the most perfect pass every single time but if you're getting two three four targets down the field each game you have to convert on at

Starting point is 00:16:20 least one at least two of those to be an effective deep threat guy and what we saw with pierce in this game is he had three targets down the field in this one. Two of them he was able to convert for over 90 yards. And obviously one of them was a touchdown. One of them set up the game winning touchdown. Alec Pierce did his job in this one. He finally got rewarded for doing the dirty work.

Starting point is 00:16:37 And he showed out what he can be as a deep vertical threat type wide receiver. This was everything we could have imagined and hoped for with Alec Pierce in this game. And he's a big reason why the Colts won this game. Two fantastic plays. Obviously the one in overtime is what really won the game for the Colts, but Alec Pierce really deserves all the credit in this one for how he performed. I mean, just two fantastic game-changing plays by Alec Pierce, a guy who's been criticized rightfully so by a lot of people this season, did some great things in this game and is a big reason why the Colts were able to sweep the Tennessee Titans. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:17:10 And I thought another critical factor in all of this was play calling in those timely plays that I mentioned. You look at things like, I don't know what they're going to call it, but like whatever that like triple toss was, the flea flicker, a really creative play design that yielded a 46 yard reception for Kylan Granson, a huge play. I mean,

Starting point is 00:17:28 it was first down. It's time to take a shot like that. However it looked, I mean, it's not always going to be like a triple toss, but you know, on a fourth and two, having the guts to go Kylan Granson,

Starting point is 00:17:40 a halfback. Oh my gosh. Essentially on fourth and two. I mean, we would have been murdering him. See, if it. I mean, we would have been murdering him. See, if it didn't work, we would have been murdering him,

Starting point is 00:17:48 but it did. Yeah. So there was just a couple of things like that. Just the, the dialing up things when it needed to be done and it actually being executed. I thought that was really big. And that the Alec Pierce,

Starting point is 00:18:01 let's just keep rolling on that. The Alec Pierce touchdown at the beginning that came right on the heels of that taunting penalty by the Titans cave on uh cave on Wallace was you know left the field at that boom deep shot in the back of the end zone touchdown uh so just all those things like I thought was a really well called game by Shane as well yeah you know I think he got really conservative in the red zone after Minshew's first fumble. Obviously didn't want to leave points on the board because I think he had a lot of faith in his defense for the most part standing up the rest of the game. So he didn't want to leave points on the board the rest of the way. And he was a little too content with getting field goals. But I do want to touch on that last touchdown real quick just to show how

Starting point is 00:18:42 good of a play caller Shane Steichen is. The first down play after alec pierce's long catch they run double slants off the rpo they have pitman on the slot they have pierce on the outside run double slants pierce has probably interfered with uh it should have been an interference call but uh pierce isn't able to come down with that slant call so what do the colts do on the next play still an rpo call exact same look pitman in the slot pierce on the outside pierce runs the slant the same look Pittman in the slot Pierce on the outside Pierce runs a slant the same exact way Pittman starts to run a slant and then breaks vertical and you get the wide open touchdown the back of the end zone that is how you set up a defense that is a great play caller right there who is just setting up a defense for future plays Shane

Starting point is 00:19:19 Steichen knew exactly what he was doing and the Colts were able to get the win so even in Shane Steichen's you know you could argue this is one of his worst games calling for the Colts were able to get the win. So even in Shane Steichen's, you know, you could argue this is one of his worst games calling for the Colts because he got very conservative in the red zone and was kind of scared of his quarterback at moments in this one. He was still able to dial up a fantastic play call with that setup in the play before to win the game there in the red zone. So Shane Steichen, again, I think he has a real case for coach of the year just from what he's doing as a head coach, but also as a play caller doing some great things with Gardner Minshew I mean look getting the Colts to 30 something points a game and some of these games with Gardner Minshew at quarterback it's just some fantastic play calling from Shane Steichen so I'm all in on Shane Steichen

Starting point is 00:19:56 and obviously this type of game and four obviously four wins in a row I feel like all of you guys are in the same boat with me yeah I think you kind of have to hide your quarterback a little bit with the fumble and then that pass on the two point fail conversion the other way. But here we're going to finally talk about the defensive sidewall because they did their thing as well. It's game time friends, buying tickets to your favorite events. Shouldn't be stressful.

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Starting point is 00:21:38 which is mercifully over the run defense has been just not great. So let's see. So the Titans ran up 177 yards today. So with the exception of Tampa Bay last week, I think they've allowed over 150 yards in all those games. Tampa Bay may have only been like 122 yards if I remember correctly, but that was 50 yards more than Tampa's average. So the Colts have just been getting murdered on the ground without Grover Stewart. And it just really shows the value of a guy like that. I think Zach tweeted during the game that Grover is going to get a $30 million per year deal for his absence. But no, I mean, this we saw this one coming.

Starting point is 00:22:23 I mean, Derek Henry, he's no spring chicken, but he can still dominate on the ground. So predictably, he did his thing. Titans fans, if there are any of you watching, like hate watching for some reason, yes, Derrick Henry did get hurt. That helped the Colts a little bit. But I mean, TyJay Spears came in and did a nice job as well so the colts are just hurting

Starting point is 00:22:48 and run defense uh so we can get that ugly part out of the way is there anything you would like to talk about with their run defense before we get to the niceties yeah you know i think when you look at this colts defense it's kind of a lot of the same that they've been doing the last couple weeks and i did give them a couple more explosive plays in the passing game which we'll talk about here in a second but they gave a couple more in the passing game because the Titans are so good at play action off of the run game so the Titans are really the first of the last three opponents where they were like actually building a passing game off of the effective run game against the Indianapolis Colts so that's how the Colts allowed

Starting point is 00:23:19 a little bit more down the field but when we saw the Colts get into third and six third and seven third and eight plus you know whatever it was get into prime position against Will Levis, they were really effective in good defense. Again, it's just the run defense is so, so putrid right now for the Colts that teams are just able to move the ball up and down the field. And really, this isn't much of a change to what we saw the past month. The only real big difference was the Titans were really effective in the red zone. I believe they, I think they went three of four for touchdowns in the red zone in this game. That's really what the big difference was. I think the Colts defense played how they've been playing the past couple of weeks. And overall the, you know, the last

Starting point is 00:23:58 month or so since that Saints game, it's just, they kept giving up scores in the red zone. And that's what led to this being a much closer game than what it should have been obviously you want to also throw in that julian blackman pick fumble whatever the heck it was fumbling it back to the titans and giving them free points as well but for the most part i think this was a game where the colts defense still kind of did what they've been doing the past week where it's like hey we'll let you guys run on us or i mean not let you guys run us but you're gonna run on us because we can't stop it like right now uh you're not gonna hit too many vertical shots on us even if you want to try it uh 400 times a game just like Will Levis tried today um and we're gonna stand tall in the red zone they did all that stuff except for standing tall in the red zone and that's why they didn't have one

Starting point is 00:24:37 of their better games this week but I think they had a really good stretch today uh from the middle part of the second quarter until the beginning of the fourth quarter the Colts defense was fantastic it's just that fourth quarter and that first quarter was not a very good defensive performance from the Colts and almost cost them in this one but for the most part they were able to stop the passing game they were able to you know throttle down a little bit against the run in that middle area which got the Colts back in it and they were able to do just enough to win this game not a great game from they were able to do just enough to win this game. Not a great game from the Colts defense, but just enough to win this one against the Putrid Titans offense. Yeah, I mean, to their credit, it started out looking like it wasn't going to be great. That opening drive from Tennessee, 39-yard reception, I think it was, to Chigokonkwo.

Starting point is 00:25:21 Derrick Henry finished it off with a 22-yard touchdown. So a couple of huge chunk plays on the opening drive after they'd only allowed a couple in the previous two games, I think it was. It didn't look good, but they buttoned up, you know, much to their credit. And one of the big reasons why was that pass rush, baby. That was coming after him. And that has to happen when you're facing a young rookie quarterback like Will Levis, you know, 48% completions you've got here. And he's a gunslinger.

Starting point is 00:25:51 Like, we could see that guy is aggressive. And if you bring pressure against a young guy like that, you're going to force some mistakes. And that was – they were able to do it. Quiddy Pei got home for two sacks. Samson Ebicom, two sacks. He had another key quarterback hit on a third and six, which forced a punt. So Jacob Martin got in for one.

Starting point is 00:26:12 Buckner. Dio got robbed of a half sack. So I think he's still sitting on six and a half. But, man, this team in the pass rush is just awesome. 21 sacks in the last four games. And that came after they were kind of sleepwalking through the middle portion of the season. They start out hot, had a few off games, but then they really cranked up the heat on the pass rush. And to me, that's one of the biggest

Starting point is 00:26:35 reasons why they're winning lately is because they're at a four game winning streak and they have 21 sacks in those four games. So it's, I don't think it's an accident. I think that's a really big correlation yeah and and again one thing that we really have to factor in is if you know if grover stewart comes back and he's still grover stewart and they can just get this run defense to adequate i i mean this can be a good defense so like i don't think today was perfect by any means whatsoever by this colt by this colts defense but um i do think it was a type of game where when they needed those stops on third downs, when they forced the Titans into passing situations,

Starting point is 00:27:09 they were able to get Will Levis uncomfortable. They were able to get some pressure on him. They were able to lock up these wide receivers. And for the most part, they got the job done on third down. If you're going to give me a game, if you tell me going into a week that the Colts defense is going to allow a lot of yards rushing, but they're going to stand tall in the red zone, they're going to get off the field on third down. Again, I know they didn't stand tall in the red zone today, but if they're going to get off the field on third down, they're going to stand tall in the red zone. That's all I can ask. I don't care how many yards an offense gets on me. As long as you're keeping teams off the board with third down defense and

Starting point is 00:27:37 with red zone defense, I'm fine with that. So if they can just do that with getting Grover Stewart back and slowing the run defense up a little bit i'm going to be pretty comfortable uh with this cold defense going forward but a couple things i want to talk about before we uh we close out today i think daryl baker jr had his best game of the season yes yes run defense wasn't great for him uh the colts both both colts corners were not great out there and run defense whatsoever filling there uh but i do think in coverage i think daryl baker Jr. was fantastic. Made a lot of good plays on the ball and he looks like he's really gotten better

Starting point is 00:28:09 from where he's been. Nick Cross, I think had a really good game out there. He finally got some real snaps on defense and every time he got up there and run defense or coming up to close on underneath passes, he made tackles. Like I don't think I saw him miss any tackles uh up front did some really good things out there so I hope hopefully we can get some more going forward with

Starting point is 00:28:28 him uh and then obviously we have to talk about the two block punts I mean those were just fantastic I know one of them's going to go down as a forced fumble uh but obviously uh two block punts by the Colts special teams unit Grant Stewart gets his first touchdown in the NFL uh just just awesome to see uh yeah again I don't think it was beautiful by the Colts defense or special teams in this game, but it was enough to get the job done. They stood up when they had to. They got some pressure on Levis. They made him uncomfortable. And at the end of the day, the Colts got the win. So I can't complain too much about the defense. I want to see a little better going forward. But I know for a fact, giving Grover Stewart back is

Starting point is 00:29:01 going to be a massive, massive impact for this team. Yeah, I'm going to go ahead. You know, you mentioned him. Let's give the special teams their flowers, you know, so there's the two block punts. I really liked the call on the second one from Tony Brown to abandon his gunner coverage spot and then go and blitz at the punter. And it worked. He got there before the ball even did. He smoked the punter. Yeah, they gave that a forced fumble because he literally took the ball off the punter's hands. I mean, look, if you're getting a guy who is a near Olympic sprinter, head steam running into the backfield, like he's going to get there. That was a fantastic call. I love that call so much, especially following up from a previous punt block by Nick Cross, the one before that. Just fantastic.

Starting point is 00:29:42 I love that call so much. Yeah, that was really good. Tony Brown had another stop right as the punt returner fielded his punt late in that game. You know, shortly after that was a big one. Matt Gay, four field goals, all four attempts, extra point. They may have lacked in the red zone, but he picked up the slack there.

Starting point is 00:30:02 That was big. And I thought Isaiah McKenzie had a couple nice returns as well. So this is one of the better special teams performances I can remember from the Colts too. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Now, guys, we're going to talk all week about this Colts massive win, how they're still sitting in that AFC playoff hunt, and then also talking about just the Colts going forward

Starting point is 00:30:20 and how they have a chance at making a run here for the postseason. But if you guys don't already make sure you're following at locked on Colts at Jake Arthur, NFL and at Zach kicks to all on social medias there on X, Twitter, whatever you want to call it. Also subscribe to us on YouTube, wherever you list your podcast.

Starting point is 00:30:33 We'd love your guys ratings reviews, and we'll catch you guys back here bright and early on Tuesday morning.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts Win OT THRILLER, Sweep Tennessee Titans, 31-28

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