2018 Week 4: Texans vs. Colts 2nd Half Open Thread — Colts trail 21-10

The Colts offense has become an absolute disaster at this point. They are unable to get anything going Authentic Adam Vinatieri Jersey , they are relying entirely on the relationship between Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton to have any chance, and self-inflicted wounds have put the team in a horrible position heading into the half. A bad snap from Ryan Kelly recovered for a touchdown and a strip sack turnover deep in their own territory have allowed 14 of Houston’s 21 points. The defense simply will be unable to win football games alone. Chris Ballard and Frank Reich better figure things out quickly or the wheels will fall off on the hope for 2018.Pester Deshaun WatsonOn Houston’s first drive, pressure from Denico Autry and Darius Leonard impacted Watson’s efforts to get the ball out. Autry came up to pick up his first sack in Indianapolis after falling into zone coverage. Leonard came around the end and picked up a sack that was incorrectly called on the field. Rather than use a challenge, Frank Reich allowed the incomplete pass to stand and forced the Texans offense to face a 3rd and 20. As the half was approaching its end we saw a coverage sack from Anthony Walker and a devastating edge rush from Jabaal Sheard and Kemoko Turay. These were key plays that gave the offense a chance to cut into the Texans first half lead and keep the Colts within reach before the half.Red Zone EfficiencyThis has gone the opposite direction. The Colts need to find a way to actually get to the red zone before they can worry about efficiency. Right now Indianapolis is seeing its offensive line struggle with the Houston front. The receivers are dropping passes and leaving Andrew Luck with only T.Y. Hilton as an option to get the ball moving. Frank Reich is going to need to come up with something during the half if the Colts are going to get an important early season win.Andrew Luck’s Decision-Making and AccuracyThere have been a couple of passes that were slightly inaccurate today but from an arm strength perspective, Luck has really looked good. He hasn’t had a lot of help from his receivers who have allowed the ball to bounce off of their hands throughout much of the game but Frank Reich will need to find ways to get the ball out fast or get the ground game going if Luck is going to be able to do real damage.Offensive BalanceFrankly, there isn’t any. The Colts have failed to create any threat of a running game and are having to rely entirely on Andrew Luck. This has allowed the Texans to pin their ears back to generate pressure. It is unlikely that life will get any easier in the pocket if Reich can’t manufacture a way to move the ball on the ground.Slow Down the Texans Pass RushA bad snap resulting in a defensive touchdown and a sack allowed by Le’Raven Clark for Jadeveon Clowney. Two sacks for J.J. Watt are starting to give him confidence against Denzelle Good. No offensive balance, no offensive rhythm, backup offensive linemen? Recipe for disaster in the second half if there aren’t some major changes.Report Card: Grading the Colts’ Week 5 performance against Patriots The good, bad, the ugly Youth T.Y. Hilton Jersey , and the pretty was evident from the Indianapolis Colts’ visit to Foxborough. Here’s the Week 5 report card from both sides of the field:Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesAndrew Luck and Passing Offense: B+Whenever Andrew Luck is on the field, the Colts offense — although lacking healthy weapons — is always alive and ready to put up points. With critics still critiquing the shoulder strength of No. 12, Luck’s final stat-line included 38 completions for 365 yards and three touchdowns. While his arm strengthcontinues to be the No. 1 story each week, Luck is proving each game that passes that he’s still the quarterback we saw from 2012-16. Without Luck, the Colts wouldn’t have cut a 21-point deficit to just seven in the third quarter.On the flip side, you could argue without Eric Ebron on the field the Colts offense could’ve had little to no life as well. Ebron hauled in nine catches for 105 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the former top-10 pick proved he can be a No. 1 option if needed, and it was needed with Marlon Mack, T.Y. Hilton, and Jack Doyle out with injuries. Moving forward http://www.coltsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-kelly-jersey , Frank Reich should continue to find a way to exploit defenses with his talented tight end group, and with Hilton coming back that should give that exploitation a boost. The grade for the passing could’ve been an A+ if Luck’s receivers could find a way to hold onto the ball. Altogether, the Colts ended up with six drops against the Patriots. A week ago, the offense had six as well. It’s a cause for concern, and the receivers need to be better moving forward. “It’s concentration,” coach Frank Reich said after the game. “The guys we have, I know they have good hands. I mean, I see them everyday in practice. We don’t have any guys that don’t have good hands, they all have good hands. It’s just a matter of concentration.”Stew Milne-USA TODAY SportsDefense: C-The reason why this grade isn’t a D, or an F for that matter Joe Haeg Jersey , is because of the fact this unit is dealing with numerous amount of injuries on a short week of rest, and several of those occurred during the game itself. One play that stood out in particular came during the second half when the Colts desperately needed an answer on defense. Tom Brady, with a lot of time to maneuver around the pocket, launched a ball into the arms of a double-covered Josh Gordon. The pass could’ve been, and should’ve been for that matter, intercepted and given back to the Colts with plenty of momentum. Instead, Chris Milton used poor judgment on the ball and it ultimately put the game out of hand. The defense has been known as a “bend but don’t break” unit. That was a point in the game where the Colts couldn’t afford to break.