Monday Morning Awards: Week 7 Vs. Texans

The Colts followed up their shocking win against the Chiefs two weeks ago with a solid win against their primary division rival. Yesterday’s win against the Texans puts the Colts in the driver’s seat of the division, especially considering that the Colts have a somewhat easy remaining schedule while the Texans have some tough remaining matchups (mainly a 3 week stretch where they have to face the Patriots, Ravens and Colts again).

MVP of the Game: Jacoby Brissett

Jacoby’s stats make it seem like he played an Andrew Luck-worthy game: 326 yards, 4 scores and no interceptions, but in reality he did not. Brissett was not asked push the deep ball, but he was more aggressive in this game and he executed the game plan to perfection. He made some really nice plays and maintained his poise in a pocket that was not always clean. Jacoby had his best game as a Colt, and it could not have come at a better time. Honorable mention to Justin Houston, who once again was a force to be reckoned with, racking up two sacks and four quarterback hits; and Zach Pascal, who had a career day.

Dud of the Game (The Grigsy): Marlon Mack

On a day where the passing attack flourished, the running game seem stagnant, and it was mainly because of Marlon Mack. He carried the ball 18 times for 44 yards and was not his usual efficient self converting on 3rd and short or 4th and short. Mack could not reach the second level, and sometimes it felt like he waited too long for something to develop instead of just hitting the hole and getting a few yards. It is also worth noting, though, that the Texans played a lot of 8-man boxes, which allowed the passing attack to explode, but contained Mack. This “award” could have also gone to Braden Smith, who got beaten by J.J Watt all day long, but containing Watt is not exactly an easy task.

Play of the Game: Eric Ebron’s TD catch

I’m not even trying to explain this one, just see for yourself and enjoy once again this awesome catch.

Worst Play of the Week: 4th and 1 early in the 2Q

The Colts were up 7-0 with the ball in their own 45 yard line when Mack was stuffed on a 3rd and short. Instead of doing the reasonable thing, and punting the ball considering it was so early in the game, Reich decided to go for it and ran a toss to the outside that was easily diagnosed by the defense and stuffed for no gain. Instead of pinning the Texans’ offense deep, Watson got great field position.

Best Position Group: Defensive Line

The return of Jabaal Sheard has transformed this unit. Facing a now-solid Texans’ offensive line, the Colts managed to get pressure all day long, sacking Watson 3 times and hitting him 5. Justin Houston took full advantage of a juicy matchup against a backup right tackle and had himself another excellent game, while the rest of the Colts D-Line also performed pretty well. Even Margus Hunt, who had a horrible start to the season, played well.

Unsung Hero: Clayton Geathers

Even though I have not been exactly a Geathers’ fan in the past and I still think that once Hooker returns he should not start, the truth is that he had a solid game yesterday, not only on defense but also on special teams. I think he is better as a rotational player and a special teams ace, and should perform better in that role.

Rookie of the Week: Khari Willis

Willis did not have an excellent game, but considering he was the only rookie that played more than 20 snaps, he was almost the only contender. Banogu made a nice stop, but he played on just 13 snaps. Willis played all the snaps available on defense, a clear sign of how things will be moving forward.