Colts snap counts vs. Vikings: Week 2

The Colts brought an entirely different approach and energy into Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season. Part of this may be the team finding its identity after an abbreviated offense, part could be attributed to coaching adjustments, and it could also be attributed to having numerous starters missing due to injury.

No matter the reason, the Colts’ snap counts illustrate the team changed considerably from one week to the next.

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OFFENSE

Yet again we get the starting five on the offensive line seeing every snap on offense. They are a rock solid group and this should surprise no one. As long as we keep them healthy they are a lock for every snap this season.

A Castonzo T 73 100%

M Glowinski G 73 100%

Q Nelson G 73 100%

B Smith G 73 100%

R Kelly C 73 100%

Again Danny Pinter got snaps as a 6th lineman, and with Jack Doyle out that is even less surprising. He’s certainly got the trust of the coaching staff to be a factor, and getting regular snaps is a great way to keep him developing.

D Pinter G 8 11%

All is right with the world again, since Philip Rivers is back where he belongs—at 100% of the offensive snaps. No Jacoby Brissett special plays to see here, folks. Let’s hope Frank Reich got that particular choice out of his system.

P Rivers QB 73 100%

Weirdly, this week saw Nyheim Hines’ snaps plummet. After a two touchdown outing where he netted 15 touches, Hines saw just 9 snaps and had the ball in his hands just once. Jonathan Taylor and Jordan Wilkins accounted for that decrease, with both seeing major increases in their workload with Marlon Mack done for the season. Both looked more than up to the task, although it is curious why Hines saw such a decrease after a successful week.

J Taylor RB 49 67%

J Wilkins RB 17 23%

N Hines RB 9 12%

Another beneficiary of injury in week two was rookie receiver Michael Pittman Jr. With Parris Campbell going down with a nasty knee injury early, it was left to other receivers to pick up some of his production. Pittman saw his snaps nearly doubled from week one, and had a couple nice grabs, but struggled to get on the same page with Rivers later in the game. He isn’t an eye-catching player and had a couple block-in-the-back penalties, but he looks the part and if he has to take up a bigger role in Campbell’s absence, he seems up to it.

T.Y. Hilton saw his snaps decreased from the prior week, perhaps a symptom of sticking with the running game, and he still seemed to be in a bit of a slump. Daurice Fountain and Ashton Dulin both got their first offensive snaps of the season as well, though neither were significant contributors on offense.

M Pittman WR 67 92%

Z Pascal WR 59 81%

T Hilton WR 42 58%

D Fountain WR 15 21%

A Dulin WR 6 8%

P Campbell WR 2 3%

Last week Jack Doyle and Mo-Alie Cox split the tight end reps, but with Doyle sidelined, it was largely the Mo-Alie Cox show Sunday. Cox was electric and despite a bobbled pass that resulted in a pick, everything he did that followed was great. Noah Togiai and Farrod Green got their first snaps of the season with the offense as well.

M Alie-Cox TE 49 67%

N Togiai TE 37 51%

F Green TE 5 7%

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DEFENSE

What a difference a week makes. This defense that looked dead on arrival against the Jaguars showed up to Lucas Oil Stadium angry, and beat the Vikings offense like a drum all day. DeForest Buckner lead the way for the defensive line, proving to be a disruptive and unstoppable force for much of the contest. Ben Banogu and Taylor Stallworth both saw their snaps increase this week in relief of the starters, and held their own when their names were called.

D Buckner DE 44 81%

D Autry DE 42 78%

J Houston DE 37 69%

A Muhammad DE 32 59%

G Stewart NT 28 52%

B Banogu DE 12 22%

T Lewis DE 12 22%

T Stallworth DT 6 11%

Here we have perhaps the most interesting development on the defensive side of the ball. While Darius Leonard unsurprisingly saw every snap, it was Bobby Okereke taking the second spot in terms of numbers. With 85% of the defensive snaps, Okereke supplanted Walker this week in reps. Walker was far from uninvolved, but this is something to monitor closely as the season goes on.

D Leonard LB 54 100%

B Okereke LB 46 85%

A Walker LB 30 56%

The defensive backs were a complete shakeup this week, as Rock Ya-Sin was a very late scratch due to a stomach issue. T.J. Carrie saw a major jump filling in for Ya-Sin, and Isaiah Rodgers ended up getting time in the game as well when Xavier Rhodes left the game with leg cramps. Thankfully, the Colts had star nickel corner Kenny Moore locking down his spot and making big plays.

Adding to the troubles in the defensive backfield was the safety spot, where Malik Hooker left the game with a potential season ending Achilles injury. In his spot came rookie Julian Blackmon, and he put on a bit of a show. Blackmon has no business even being on a football field, having torn his ACL late in the 2019 football season, but you certainly couldn’t tell. He and Khari Willis made a nice pair and Tavon Wilson even got on the field for 3 snaps.

K Moore CB 54 100%

T Carrie CB 40 74%

X Rhodes CB 28 52%

I Rodgers DB 18 33%

K Willis SS 54 100%

J Blackmon DB 34 63%

M Hooker FS 20 37%

T Wilson SS 3 6%

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SPECIAL TEAMS

Often if there is nothing of consequence to say about special teams, that is a good thing. Such was the case on Sunday. Rodrigo Blankenship was perfect on the day, and Rigoberto Sanchez had to punt just twice, including one where long snapper Luke Rhodes downed the ball at the 1-yard-line and set the stage for the defense to force a safety. Hard to complain about a day like that.

Z Franklin LB 19 76%

G Odum FS 19 76%

J Glasgow LB 18 72%

R Sanchez P 15 60%

L Rhodes LB 9 36%

C Green T 6 24%

L Clark T 6 24%

R Blankenship K 6 24%

M Adams LB 5 20%