Monday “Morning” Awards: Week 6 vs. Bengals

A win is a win, no matter how bad the Colts looked in the first quarter, and they looked the worse I have seen them in quite some time. Still, the defense got over the rough start and shut down the Bengals in the second half, while the offense suddenly started looking like what it was capable of moving the ball, and the Colts managed to comeback from a 21-point deficit in order to move to 4-2.

MVP of the Game: Philip Rivers

There are plenty of good choices here, but none was more important in this win than Rivers. The Colts offense started off bad, with a Jack Doyle fumble followed by two three and outs. From there, it seemed like Reich started opening up the playbook, and both Rivers and the entire Colts offense benefitted from it. His connection with Marcus Johnson was a surprise, and he made some really good throws. Of course, there were a couple mistakes (at the end of the day, this is still Philip Rivers), but the good finally outweighed the bad. With Pittman Jr. set to comeback from his injury, let’s just hope Rivers can keep this form up.

Dud of the Game (The Grigsy): Rock Ya-Sin

Rock certainly made some good plays on the ball, but he got beat several times by either Tee Higgins or A.J Green. He had an unnecessary roughness penalty on what would have been a 3rd and 12 for Cincy and it seemed like every third down conversion was on him. Rock tends to struggle against big bodied wide receivers, and yesterday was not an exception.

Play of the Game: Julian Blackmon’s game sealing interception

With the Bengals in Colts territory late in the 4Q, Burrow tried to fit the ball into a really tight window and rookie ball-hawk Julian Blackmon easily read his eyes, jumped the route, and grabbed the pick, sealing the deal for the Colts improbable comeback.

Worst Play of the Game: Jack Doyle’s fumble on the first drive

Jack Doyle has not been the same player he once was, sure, he made a fantastic touchdown catch, but once MAC returns he should be the third tight end in the depth chart. Yesterday he once again had a costly fumble against the Bengals, and on this one he was not even touched, he just seemed to lose control of the ball.

Best Position Group: Defensive Line

The main reason the d-line takes home this award is because of the outstanding games from DeForest Buckner and Tyquan Lewis. Buckner has been everything the Colts hoped he would be back when they traded the 13th overall pick for him, while Lewis is finally starting to show why Ballard used a second round pick on him.

Unsung Hero: Rodrigo Blankenship

Rodrigo Blankenship has been rock solid for the Colts so far, and yesterday he was once again perfect. Yes, he has not kicked a long field goal, but the fact that he is so consistent on extra points and short kicks means he is already a huge upgrade over Adam Vinatieri.

Rookie of the Week: Julian Blackmon

Ballard got a gem in this one, as Blackmon could easily challenge for DROY right now. He is the perfect complement for Khari Willis and now it is safe to say he is everything we Colts fans hoped Malik Hooker would be.