Indianapolis Colts Offense: Analyzing Patriots’ Week 6 Test
Sep 27, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Coby Fleener (80) tries to get away from a tackle by Tennessee Titans free safety Michael Griffin (33) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. The Colts won 35-33. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, Tight Ends
Going into this season, tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener were supposed to be the red zone Bash Brothers, with both of them combining for 1,169 yards and 16 touchdowns. Fleener actually was third on the team last year in receiving yards, with 774 (just five behind Reggie Wayne), while Allen tended to be more of a red zone mismatch than anything.
So far this year, it hasn’t quite worked the same way. Coby Fleener is once again third in receiving yards on the team, with 148, but Dwayne Allen’s Week 3 injury kept him primarily in a blocking role in Week 5 against the Texans. With Fleener always having been more of a receiving tight end, and all the receivers we’ve talked about so far, it’s fair to wonder whether Allen will do much aside from what he did last week.
Who Can Stop Them?
Again, stealing Mike Reiss’s ESPN analysis, when they’re facing a two-tight-end setup, the Patriots tend to send out three safeties. Duron Harmon and Patrick Chung have taken the lion’s share of safety snaps alongside Devin McCourty so far, and between McCourty and Harmon, they account for 3 of the team’s 6 interceptions so far this season.
Not bad, considering the other three picks came courtesy of Logan Ryan and Malcolm Butler (two and one, respectively)
Last weekend, containing immortal Cowboys tight end Jason Witten turned into a team effort, literally – Rich Garven of the Providence Journal pointed out that Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty wound up in coverage on Witten most frequently, but also that defensive ends like Jabaal Sheard and Chandler Jones jamming Witten at the line also created the chaos New England needed to force Dallas into avoiding their most sure-handed target.
Belichick himself also said the same: “It was definitely a team effort. It wasn’t just one guy covering them. But I thought that Chung and McCourty in particular really did a good job.”
“McCourty was on him in a lot of those third-down and a couple of red-area situations where they try to double move or go to him on third down, and those are some critical plays and Devin did a really good job of matching up against Witten. He’s a tough guy to cover.”
Phew. Having said all that, who comes out on top in the Snitches Get Stitches Bowl on Sunday?
Keep it simple, stupid: Indianapolis beat the Titans and Jaguars by a combined 5 points.
New England is third in the NFL in points scored this season, and that’s counting their bye in Week 3. The only teams scoring more than them are Atlanta and Arizona, both of whom have played one more game this year.
How in the world is the betting line for this game only 7 points? Pats roll.
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