10 of Colts Top Plays Through Bye Week

Look, the Indianapolis Colts season obviously hasn’t gone as we would have liked it to thus far. There have been some very ugly situations, plays and results pretty regularly, however, there have been some really good moments as well.

So, while we have a week off of Colts football, we can relax a bit and just enjoy a Sunday full of football without the prospect of another one of those ugly moments bringing down our day. On the other hand, we can still reminisce on the good times we’ve seen up to this point.

Here are some of the top plays of the Colts season up through this, the Colts bye week.

Week 8 | Jacoby Brissett 13-yard TD to Jack Doyle

Though the Colts didn’t finish off the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, the game signified the vast improvement of Brissett’s ability to manage the offense and progress fundamentally. This touchdown to Doyle gave the Colts a 7-point lead midway through the second quarter.

This play shows off the importance of Doyle within this offense, as well as Brissett’s improved accuracy and timing.

Week 4 | Matthias Farley Interception of Russell Wilson

While this was one of the more disappointing losses versus one of the league’s better teams, the Colts sure showed that they absolutely could play alongside anyone — for at least two quarters — and were capable of making some plays. This interception by Farley, a first-down pass, stopped a critical drive late in the second quarter and set up a touchdown drive which gave the Colts their 15-10 halftime lead.

Week 10 | Matthias Farley Pass Break Up

This wasn’t a scoring play, or even a forced turnover, but it was a critical play in the third quarter of the Colts matchup with the Steelers. The Colts were up 17-9 at this point, and this was a 3rd-and-5 pass deep in Steelers’ territory. The Colts needed a play to get the offense back on the field, and though the offense didn’t come through, you have to love this sort of physicality from the Colts secondary in a big spot.

Week 4 | Malik Hooker Interception of Russell Wilson

Again a big play by the Colts secondary when they needed it. Midway through the third quarter, Colts are down 3, and they get a turnover setting up the offense in great field position to get more points on the board.

This third-down pass featured some solid underneath coverage by John Simon with help over the top from Hooker. Very much a right place, right time situation created by pressure throughout the game and forcing Wilson to make a perfect throw. The best part — of course — was the stiff arm Hooker dished out during the return. I miss him already.

Week 5 | Marlon Mack 22-yard TD Run

Nearing the end of the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers, the Colts were up 9-6 and had forced back-to-back punts. The Colts needed to get 6 on the board and the dynamic Marlon Mack came through with a beautiful cut-back run for touchdown. It did increase the Colts lead and finished off the drive — which the Colts had been struggling mightily to do — but it also showed us a little bit more about what Mack adds to the future of this offense.

Week 9 | Jabaal Sheard Game-Clinching Strip Sack

I don’t know that there is a play on the season that could be more directly instrumental to sealing a win than this sack by Sheard. This was the final play of the game, killing a 13-play drive by the Houston Texans at the Colts 7-yard line. Not only the spot in the game when it occurred, but somehow the Texans’ offense appeared to have finally began to click on their final two drives of the game — scoring at touchdown on their previous possession.

Week 6 | John Simon Pick-6 of Marcus Mariota

Sadly this play didn’t have a larger impact on the final score of the game, but at the time, the Colts held a 13-9 lead very early in the second half and had just been forced off the field on a 3-and-out on their first possession of the half. This put the Colts up 19-9 and looked to be a pivotal boost in momentum on the road against a nicked-up Mariota.

Unfortunately, the Titans scored on 5 of their next 6 possessions to end the game in blowout fashion to drop the Colts to 2-4 on the season and losing what could end up being an important divisional game.

Week 9 | T.Y. Hilton 80-yard TD Vs Texans

Very late in the third quarter the Colts were nursing a 3-point lead against a very unimpressive Texans squad when Brissett hit Hilton on this beautiful pass across the middle of the field. It was an equally impressive catch and run from Hilton as he plucked the ball with his finger tips and wisely got up, finishing off the play after not being touched down.

This put the Colts in a good spot, earning them a 10-point lead with virtually just the fourth quarter to go.

Week 10 | Chester Rogers 61-yard TD Vs Steelers

Is there a better way to start the second half than with a touchdown pass that earns you a two-score lead against a 6-2 team? What’s more is that Rogers had only recently made his way back into the lineup after a nagging hamstring injury, and the Colts desperately needed another weapon to arise.

Brissett held the safety to the middle of the field just long enough to get Rogers some space — avoiding two defenders en route to the end zone — and put the Colts up 17-3 landing the first blow of the second half.

Week 2 | Quincy Wilson/Malik Hooker Pass Break Up

This last of the 10, was purely selected because of the ability that it shows from two of the Colts rookies in the secondary. Wilson hasn’t had a lot of opportunity this season, but here in Week 2 he was very good in his first start of the year. Hooker and Wilson show off their skills in jarring the ball loose on what would have been a fantastic catch and put the Cardinals in great scoring position.

Instead the Cardinals are forced to put together a 15-play drive just to earn a field goal. Additionally, you have to like seeing a rookie being able to recover this well on a deep ball on a first-down attempt. It’s all about the future right now in Indy.

One to Grow On: Week 2 | Nate Hairston Sack From the Slot

I know the title says ‘10’, but when looking to the future you have to enjoy how the other rookie in the secondary — Nate Hairston — has fit in so nicely and offers multiple possibilities to the Colts young defense. Hairston has done a very nice job in coverage holding down the nickle-corner role throughout the season to this point, but he also adds the capabilities to pressure the quarterback and force a quick release, or in this case a sack.

Here the Colts owned a 7-point lead, and this sack came on a first-down play which only added to a largely bad day from Carson Palmer, especially through the first three-and-a-half quarters. Hairston has been one of the best, and most underrated draft pick from first-year GM Chris Ballard thus far.