3. The Colts again were able to succeed on offense through versatility, and there’s a sneaky undercurrent to that.
Think about the different skillsets of Warren, Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell – each has strengths of their game and is able to attack different areas of the field in different ways. Those guys have, so far, meshed together awfully well within the Colts’ offense.
But there’s one trait that group, collectively, shares: An unselfish, physical willingness to block on running plays. That’s something offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter pointed to earlier this month as he discussed how the skillsets of those pass-catchers work together.
“Sometimes you have (varying receiving skillsets), but the guys are unable to help in the run game whether that be not being very good blockers or not very willing blockers,” Cooter said. “We’re lucky enough to have guys that are willing and they work at blocking in the run game. So now you combine sort of that multiplicity of threats in the pass game with a really good running game that you can do different things with different guys in. Now you really got a shot.”
On Taylor’s 46-yard run, he got an assist downfield from Pittman, who got hands on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed as Taylor sprinted toward the end zone. Earlier in the game, the Colts lined PIttman up in the slot, where he blocked cornerback Roger McCreary to create a hole just big enough for Taylor to slip through for a 12-yard gain midway through the second quarter.
Against the Broncos, Pittman helped spring a couple of explosive runs – including Taylor’s 68-yard dash – with some physical blocks, while wide receiver Ashton Dulin thumped cornerback Pat Surtain II as part of a 10+ yard Taylor rush.
The point here is the Colts aren’t giving opposing defenses a tell based on the personnel they have on the field. They can run the ball out of 11 personnel (three wide receivers, one running back, one tight end) as well as they can pass it. The presence of a certain wide receiver or tight end on the field is not an indication of if a run or a pass is coming. And the trust the Colts have in their skill personnel to do both – catch or block – has allowed the versatility of this offense to flourish.
“A lot of these runs, they become explosive because of them,” Taylor said of the Colts’ wide receivers. “But I always feel like you get rewarded because then, at the end fo the day, when they go and sell out for the run, now these guys get their one-on-one matchups. I think it’s a testament to their level of unselfishness to go out there, put their bodies on the line for the run game.”