Dopey Report Card: Offense gets stellar grades

Jan. 4, 2014

Indianapolis Colts T.Y. Hilton celebrates after making the touchdown bringing the Colts in the lead 45-44 during the first round of the NFL playoffs, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Saturday, January 04, 2014. / Robert Scheer / The Star

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This was all about Donald Brown and Andrew Luck. Brown took full advantage of the fact the Chiefs were not loading the box, consistently popping quick hitters up the middle and off tackle as Kansas City defended against the pass while nursing a lead. The Colts never fully abandoned the run, even when they were down 38-10. Luck had seven carries for 45 yards, showing again he’s nearly as dangerous with his legs as he is his arm. On a side note, let’s just be honest about the Trent Richardson: He’s a bust. In the biggest game of the year, he touched the ball one time and fumbled. Maybe there will be a time and a place for him next year, but for now, this looks like a giant mistake.

GRADE: D

RUN DEFENSE

The Colts appeared to have gotten a monster break when Jamaal Charles, who counts for more than one-third of the Chiefs offense, went down with a concussion. (It was a bad day for head injuries). But running back Knile Davis had a strong game (67 yards on 18 carries) and quarterback Alex Smith was terrific, using the read option and scrambles to gain 57 yards on eight carries. But here’s an important thing to note: The Chiefs got just 40 of their 150 rushing yards in the second half when the Colts were mounting their ridiculous comeback, or what Reggie Wayne called, “The greatest comeback I’ve ever been a part of,’’ and this is a guy who was in Tampa the night the Colts came back from down 21 with five minutes to go. Don’t forget Cory Redding’s big stop on a third-and-goal stand that meant the difference between the Chiefs scoring seven points and three.

GRADE: A-minus

PASS OFFENSE

The Dopey Report Card staff has been fortunate to cover some terrific quarterbacks: Bernie Kosar in Cleveland, John Elway in Denver, Peyton Manning and now Andrew Luck. And that, friends, was one of the greatest quarterbacking performances we’ve ever seen. And we say that after a day when Luck threw three interceptions, two of which were clearly his fault. But the thing you love about the kid is his massive will to win. He was 29-for-45 for 443 yards and four touchdowns, not bad for a guy who wasn’t good enough to make the Pro Bowl. Just an enormous day for T.Y. Hilton, who had 13 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns. If the Colts are going to have a chance at either Denver or New England next week, Hilton will have to continue to be a special player. Solid day, too, for Coby Fleener.

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GRADE: D

PASS DEFENSE

A couple of weeks ago in Kansas City, the Chiefs receivers couldn’t get a lick of separation. Indy’s defensive backs played press coverage on them and rendered them invisible. Not the case Saturday, when Dwayne Bowe scorched them with eight catches for 150. Greg Toler got toasted early and left the game with a groin problem; he’ll have to be watched closely this week to see about his availability for next weekend. Vontae Davis was his usual inconsistent self. And the secondary should have been burned again, but Alex Smith overthrew a wide-open Cyrus Gray on what would have been a dagger touchdown in the second half. That group will have to play much better against either Peyton Manning or Tom Brady next week. (Hint: Root for San Diego. The Colts have a better chance to beat the Pats, in my humble view.)

GRADE: A-minus

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kansas City came into this game with one of the best kick- and punt-return units in the league, but the Colts did a much better job this time than they did during the regular-season game in Kansas City. In fact, LaVon Brazill averaged 30 yards per kick return while Kansas City’s Quintin Demps averaged 26.7 on seven run-backs. The Colts couldn’t let KC get the best of them in the special teams, and rose to the challenge. On a side note, consider what it’s like to be a Chiefs fan today, having watched your team throw away a 28-point lead and lose their eighth straight post-season game, an NFL record. This time, they couldn’t blame Lin Elliott or any of their other kickers.

GRADE: B

COACHING

Greg Manusky and the defense? An ‘F.’ Pep Hamilton and the offense? A solid ‘A.’ And Chuck Pagano gets high marks for resisting the temptation to tear his hair out and for maintaining an even keel. This was an offensive masterpiece on both sides, with the Chiefs running the read-option to perfection – something they didn’t do a couple of weeks back in Kansas City. I thought Hamilton called a terrific game, never completely bailing on the running game, even when the Colts were hideously behind. He’s done a masterful job of re-igniting this Colts offense after a couple of weeks of flailing without Reggie Wayne.

GRADE: A

INTANGIBLES

This is the reason why we watch sports. This is the reason I write about sports. Because when you show up at the stadium, there’s the chance you’re going to see something you’ve never seen before, something remarkable and transcendent. This isn’t the best Colts team; they are terrifically flawed, which is understandable just two years removed from a complete rebuild. But man, they are tough-minded and resilient. And this quarterback, this Andrew Luck guy, has a chance to be as great if not greater than Peyton Manning, and you can check in with me again when his career is finished. Which won’t be for a very, very long time. Again, remarkable.