Andrew Luck is an important figure in the Indianapolis Colts’ game at the Denver Broncos, of course.
What I want to look at is how the Colts protected Luck against the Cincinnati Bengals last week – and they did it well – and some of the route concepts that Indianapolis will use against Denver to get receivers like T.Y. Hilton open. Because these things are vital for their chances of success at Denver on Sunday.
Luck played very well against Cincinnati. It stood out right away how patient Luck was. He was the chain mover in the Colts offense and he needs to consistently hit 5-to-7 yard passes. But a big reason Luck was able to make those passes is the Colts did a good job protecting him, even with a line that had some changes due to injury.
The Colts played a high percentage of two- and three-tight end sets on regular downs and distance situations. No matter the set, the Bengals couldn’t generate any pass rush on Luck with their four-man defensive line, in either their base or nickel defense. Offensive tackles Anthony Castonzo and Joe Reitz (who was starting at right tackle because of injury) held up well.
In the second quarter, the Bengals showed “double A gap” alignment with their inside linebackers, and blitzed Vincent Rey and the slot corner Leon Hall from Rey’s side. Hall would have been clean off the edge but Reggie Wayne chipped defensive end Margus Hunt, pushing him inside, and that allowed Reitz to work outside and get his hands on Hall. That allowed Luck the time to work and climb the pocket and take advantage of a matchup of receiver Hakeem Nicks against safety George Iloka for a 45-yard gain.
Luck is also one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in terms of pocket movement. He has great feel for sliding within the pocket to find a relatively quieter spot to deliver the ball. He does not look at the rush and lose his downfield focus. With that in mind, let’s take a look at one of his highlight plays from last week.
The Colts came out in a three-by-one set with Donte Moncrief on the slot to the three-receiver side. He ran an “over” route attacking single high safety Iloka. The Bengals had safety Reggie Nelson blitzing from Luck’s right, and defensive end Will Clarke dropping into coverage. Luck ran up in the pocket to avoid Nelson’s blitz. That gave Moncrief time to cross Iloka’s face. Luck made a great throw as he was falling down for the score.
I also want to show a route concept that helped Hilton get a 30-yard gain in the second quarter. The Colts attacked the Bengals linebackers in coverage because that’s been a recurring issue for Cincinnati all season (and that bears watching in the matchup of the Colts offense against the Broncos defense). The Bengals ran “quarters” coverage. Wayne ran a deep post to lift cornerback Adam Jones. Tight end Dwayne Allen ran vertically at Rey. Hilton ran a underneath drag route across the field. Rey was in conflict because of Allen’s vertical route and Hilton’s drag route, because both are in his underneath area of responsibility.
A lot of the Broncos-Colts game will come down to how well Luck does against Denver’s defense. But all of the pieces must be working for the Colts offense, like they were against the Bengals.
Cowboys at Packers
A lot of attention has been paid to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his calf injury, but it’s mostly a moot point if the Dallas Cowboys can’t get pressure on him.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, their defensive line has gotten better as the season has progressed.
Tyrone Crawford has become a strong “3 technique” defensive tackle, end Jeremy Mincey has been solid all season and rookie Demarcus Lawrence has really started to develop as a pass-rushing end.
Lawrence made a big play late in the game, getting a fourth-down sack in the final minute, also forcing a fumble. He used his hands effectively to create separation and get his inside arm past left tackle Riley Reiff.
Lawrence flashed against the Lions, both as a run defender and a pass rusher. It might have been his best game all season.
The other part of slowing down Green Bay’s passing game is how the Cowboys match up against the Packers’ receivers. Last week was pretty interesting in that regard: The Cowboys were clearly comfortable matching up Brandon Carr on Calvin Johnson and Orlando Scandrick on Golden Tate. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are different type receivers – Johnson is great but Nelson might be a more explosive vertical threat, and Cobb is much quicker than Tate out of the slot – so it’s tough to say if they’ll match up the same way. The Cowboys played a lot of man coverage last week, and that hasn’t been their M.O. this season. So it’s hard to say what the Cowboys will do against the Packers, but their approach certainly is worth keeping a close eye on.
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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.
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