Kwity Paye
It is just so hard to judge Kwity Paye, because he is not bad by any means, but his impact as a pass-rusher is almost non-existent, save for perhaps one or two plays a game where he manages to get home, and it’s not like he is a wrecking force against the run either. I honestly do not understand how he keeps getting such a dominant amount of snaps, and I have no clue whether the Colts are going to attempt to re-sign him in the offseason or not, but his future financial health, and the Colts’ playoff chances, are in need of a late-season emergence.
Tanor Bortolini
Bortolini had two missed snaps last week against the Texans, was suspect in pass-protection, and has not been getting to the second level as well as he was in recent games. It also does not help that he is facing exotic blitz packages every other snap, which probably takes a ton of mental effort to try and diagnose and beat. My belief is that Bortolini should be fine and is experiencing the pains of development, but if the Colts’ pass-protection is to improve, he will need to start showing some of those improvements as soon as possible.
Josh Downs
After a blistering start, the Colts’ offense has really struggled in two areas where Downs used to be effective. Moving the chains, and getting quick separation. As a result of the struggles in both areas, opposing defenses are being able to blitz at an alarming rate without any repercusion because the offense just cannot get the quick outs. Downs needs to offer that security blanket to Jones once again, and the offense will start looking more like it did at the beginning of the year.
Blake Grupe
Michael Badgley is no longer the Colts’ kicker after yet another missed extra point against the Texans last week, one that ended up being the difference between being forced to go for a touchdown or being able to kick a field goal to send the game to overtime late in the 4th. Newly signed Blake Grupe is 86-88 in XP in his career (15-15 this year), and average inside the 50-yard range. The Colts will probably still be aggressive on 4th down, so do not expect a ton of volume for Grupe, the team just needs him to get the extra points.
Joshua Hines-Allen (Jaguars)
Hines-Allen always pops up against the Colts. It might be that he matches up really well against Braden Smith, or perhaps he just likes playing us, but he is consistently a game-wrecker. The Colts’ pass-protection has not been working well, and Jones’ production has been suffering as a result.
Andrew Wingard / Travon Walker (Jaguars)
Keep an eye out for two injured Jaguars’ defensive players that have been making a big impact this season, and look more out than in on Sunday. Both Wingard and Walker have been really productive against the run, and after three consecutive games where the Colts’ passing game has sputtered Steichen could be forced to use a heavy dose of JT.
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