As I mentioned could be a possibility in my piece covering the keys to victory for the Colts against the Buccaneers
, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. had arguably his best performance of the season against an exploitable Buccaneers secondary.
As I mentioned could be a possibility in my piece covering the keys to victory for the Colts against the Buccaneers, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. had arguably his best performance of the season against an exploitable Buccaneers secondary.
Pittman would set a season-high in catches for a single game with 10. He’d also notch his second-best performance of the year in receiving yards with 107.
It’s simple: Pittman is a WR1, league-wide. Seven passers into his short career and he’s still one of the most consistent receivers that the NFL has to showcase to viewers. He’ll only continue to thrive with an offensive master like Steichen.
Look, Colts field general Gardner Minshew led the team to victory, which is all that matters. However, he is continuously putting the offense in precarious situations with bad pocket presence and susceptibility to turnovers.
While the Bucs would only snag two sacks for the afternoon, Minshew made some bad throws because he felt pressure or reacted when it wasn’t there.
His interception in this contest marks his seventh on the year to just eight TD tosses. Tampa also walked into this game at an abysmal 270.7 passing yards allowed per game (second-worst in the NFL).
However, Minshew would get a score on the ground for his third on the season, and he has been operating well enough within Steichen’s scheme for three straight victories.
With a still-favorable schedule for the next six games, Minshew will look to get over the turnover bug as Indianapolis strides for the playoffs.
Opposite the ineptitude against the pass, Tampa’s run defense was fifth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (90.0) before the contest. However, the backfield duo of Zack Moss and Jonathan Taylor put up 146 rushing yards, gashing the Bucs’ defensive front.
Taylor would lead with 15 carries for 91 yards (6.1 avg.) and 2 rushing scores. Moss would also average over 6 yards per carry (6.9) and would accumulate 55 rushing yards.
Even minus center Ryan Kelly, the Colts’ offensive line and backup line general Wesley French would limit everything Tampa had to offer to stop the run.
If the line can continue to play this well and open gaps for the running backs, especially when Kelly returns, they could be an issue for the remaining opponents on their schedule.