his eyes down the field and his legs churning Sunday.His teammates took the cue.The offensive line created enough space for Mack to run for a career-high 139 yards and two scores
Pat McAfee Color Rush Jersey , an improving defense smothered the league’s hottest offense and the Colts rolled past Dallas 23-0 to stay in the AFC playoff hunt.“When I saw those holes, I was like ‘Yeah, it might be a good day,'” Mack said. “Holes like that don’t come often.”If Mack continues to exploit the creases, there’s no telling what the Colts (8-6) could do if they earn a postseason trip.Since losing five of their first six, Indy has won seven of eight. Andrew Luck continues to play the best football of his career and Mack appears ready to thrive with starting center Ryan Kelly back in the lineup.The Colts’ vastly improved defense has allowed 27 points over the past three weeks including two games against division leaders, Houston and Dallas, and has its first shutout since a 27-0 victory over Cincinnati on Oct. 19, 2004.“Against that team, with the guys they have, it’s tough,” coach Frank Reich said. “They have some of the best (offensive) guys in the NFL.”While the Colts (8-6) celebrated, Dallas was dismayed.The Cowboys (8-6) came out flat on offense, wore down on defense and failed to clinch the NFC East title as a five-game winning streak ended.Ezekiel Elliott ran 18 times for 87 yards and caught seven passes for 41 yards. Amari Cooper had four catches for 32 yards and Dak Prescott was 24 of 39 for 206 yards with one interception.But Mack set the tone with a physical 19-yard run on his first carry, ran 22 times and matched his career best for scoring runs — all against the league’s No. 3 run defense.The result: Dallas gave up its first 100-yard game since Week 9 and endured its first shutout since losing 12-0 to the Patriots on Nov. 16, 2003.“Obviously, we didn’t play well enough in any phase of our game to win,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “We can’t allow them to run the ball the way they want to run it.”That wasn’t the only problem.The Colts repeatedly took advantage of Cowboys’ miscues.When Denico Autry blocked a Dallas field-goal attempt , Mack capitalized with a 1-yard TD plunge. Luck cashed in on a defensive holding call against Anthony Brown on third down to set up Adam Vinatieri for a 43-yard field goal to make it 10-0 at the half.Mack opened the second half with a 6-yard scoring run and Vinatieri sealed it with two more field goals.Defensively, the Colts made big play after big play, too.Elliott lost 2 yards and the ball on fourth-and-1 from the Colts 3, Dallas was knocked out of field-goal range on Tyquan Lewis‘ sack on the Cowboys’ final chance in the first half, Pierre Desir and Darius Leonard each ended drives by breaking up passes in the second half and George Odum capped it with a late interception.Mack took care of the rest.“He ran well
https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jack-Doyle-Jersey , he does all the little things really, really well,” Luck said.STAT PACKCowboys: Dallas lost its first game in the series since 2002 and finished with no sacks and only three quarterback hits. … The Cowboys finished with 292 yards, their lowest total since acquiring Cooper in a trade.Colts: Luck was 16 of 27 for 192 yards while T.Y. Hilton caught five passes for 85 yards despite not practicing all week because of an ankle injury. … Lewis had two of the Colts three sacks.INJURY REPORTCowboys: Right guard Zack Martin missed the first game of his career with an injured left knee. Dallas improvised by moving left guard Connor Williams to right guard and inserting Xavier Su’a-Filo at right guard. But Su’a-Filo left early in the second quarter with an eye injury and did not return.Colts: Veteran backup Joe Haeg replaced right guard Mark Glowinski (ankle) in the starting lineup and defensive tackle Al Woods left in the third quarter with an injured leg and did not return.THEY SAID ITCowboys: “The field goal just before halftime seemed to demoralize our team,” team owner Jerry Jones said.Colts: “Zeke doesn’t get stopped too much in that situation,” Reich said of the goal-line stand. “I don’t know what the numbers are but it was a huge play.”UP NEXTCowboys: Get a second chance to clinch the division title next Sunday when they host Tampa Bay.Colts: Close out their home schedule next weekend when Eli Manning and the New York Giants return to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since winning the Super Bowl after the 2011 season. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts‘ defense appears to be rounding into form.Rookie linebacker Darius Leonard leads the league in tackles. Safeties Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker look healthy. The sacks and turnovers are up, the miscues are down and first-year defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus sees things coming together.No, it’s not a perfect start but for a defense that has traditionally finished near the bottom of the league, this is progress.“It’s not as clean as it should be in terms of execution,” Eberflus said Tuesday. “The alignments are off a little bit and the angles we tackle at have to improve, but you can see the guys understand it (the system) a little better.”Eberflus expected the transition from the previous 3-4 front to the more traditional 4-3 to take time.But things have gone faster and smoother than almost anyone anticipated.Three weeks into the season, the Colts’ defense is ranked No. 16 overall and No. 15 against both the run and the pass. Only 12 teams have allowed fewer points than Indy’s 63.With 10 sacks, Indy is almost halfway to last season’s 16-game total (25) and only seven teams have more takeaways than the Colts (five).The biggest beneficiary has been Leonard, a second-round draft pick out of South Carolina State who already has 41 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery as he continues to learn the system.“Football is football, so I think it’s pretty easy,” he said. “I think it’s really just about just how hard we practice, 24-7. We practice hard.”Leonard isn’t the only one thriving in Eberflus’ system, the same version made popular by Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay.The oft-injured Geathers produced a career-high 11 tackles each of the past two weeks. Defensive end Margus Hunt already has a career-high three sacks to go along with 10 tackles — more than he’s had in four of his first six NFL seasons.Hooker, Indy’s first-round pick in 2017, is flashing the playmaking ability Indy detected in college as his teammates get in sync.“I feel like we’re in a good spot, but we’ve still got a lot of work to put in
Adam Vinatieri Jersey ,” Hooker said. “I think it’s guys buying into the coaching, believing (other) guys are running to the ball and just being physical out there.”Clearly, this is far from a finished product.While the defense has kept the Colts within striking distance, breakdowns still occur.In Sunday’s 20-16 loss at Super Bowl champion Philadelphia, the defense allowed Carson Wentz to burn nearly 11½ minutes on a fourth-quarter drive that resulted in the go-ahead touchdown. Indy aided the drive with four penalties, including a holding call on defensive end Jabaal Sheard after it appeared Indy had stopped Philadelphia on fourth-and-5 at the Colts 42.“I think he was just in there and it just happened. He was trying to run a stunt and it just happened,” Eberflus said. “We want no foolish penalties. So it comes down to judgment, concentration and self-control. Really, it comes down to those three categories and we’ll get better at it.”The improvements cannot be ignored.Over the previous three seasons, the Colts allowed 5.7, 6.0 and 5.7 yards per play. Not surprisingly, they missed the playoffs all three seasons.This year that number is down to 5.3 though Eberflus expects the number to continue dropping as players become more accustomed to their new roles. Eberflus is working with seven new starters and an eighth player, Sheard, who moved from outside linebacker back to defensive end.There could be more help on the way, too.Rookie defensive linemen Kemoko Turay showed signs of his pass-rushing potential in Sunday’s game, and Tyquan Lewis remains on injured reserve with an injured toe. Both were second-round picks.But even without those guys making a huge impact so far, Eberflus believes the defense is on schedule.“One of my mentors in coaching said, ‘You get what you emphasize and if you emphasize too much you don’t get anything,'” Eberflus said. “I think if you just hang your hat on a couple things, the rudiments of the game, that’s what you’ll see on tape. You’ve got to do a good job of coaching it up.”Notes: Indy has claimed cornerback Arthur Maulet off waivers from New Orleans and released running back Christine Michael. … The Colts also signed offensive tackle Rees Odhiambo and cornerback Lenzy Pipkins to the practice squad after releasing offensive tackle Will Holden and cornerback Tarvarus McFadden from the practice squad.
his eyes down the field and his legs churning Sunday.His teammates took the cue.The offensive line created enough space for Mack to run for a career-high 139 yards and two scores Pat McAfee Color Rush Jersey , an improving defense smothered the league’s hottest offense and the Colts rolled past Dallas 23-0 to stay in the AFC playoff hunt.“When I saw those holes, I was like ‘Yeah, it might be a good day,'” Mack said. “Holes like that don’t come often.”If Mack continues to exploit the creases, there’s no telling what the Colts (8-6) could do if they earn a postseason trip.Since losing five of their first six, Indy has won seven of eight. Andrew Luck continues to play the best football of his career and Mack appears ready to thrive with starting center Ryan Kelly back in the lineup.The Colts’ vastly improved defense has allowed 27 points over the past three weeks including two games against division leaders, Houston and Dallas, and has its first shutout since a 27-0 victory over Cincinnati on Oct. 19, 2004.“Against that team, with the guys they have, it’s tough,” coach Frank Reich said. “They have some of the best (offensive) guys in the NFL.”While the Colts (8-6) celebrated, Dallas was dismayed.The Cowboys (8-6) came out flat on offense, wore down on defense and failed to clinch the NFC East title as a five-game winning streak ended.Ezekiel Elliott ran 18 times for 87 yards and caught seven passes for 41 yards. Amari Cooper had four catches for 32 yards and Dak Prescott was 24 of 39 for 206 yards with one interception.But Mack set the tone with a physical 19-yard run on his first carry, ran 22 times and matched his career best for scoring runs — all against the league’s No. 3 run defense.The result: Dallas gave up its first 100-yard game since Week 9 and endured its first shutout since losing 12-0 to the Patriots on Nov. 16, 2003.“Obviously, we didn’t play well enough in any phase of our game to win,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “We can’t allow them to run the ball the way they want to run it.”That wasn’t the only problem.The Colts repeatedly took advantage of Cowboys’ miscues.When Denico Autry blocked a Dallas field-goal attempt , Mack capitalized with a 1-yard TD plunge. Luck cashed in on a defensive holding call against Anthony Brown on third down to set up Adam Vinatieri for a 43-yard field goal to make it 10-0 at the half.Mack opened the second half with a 6-yard scoring run and Vinatieri sealed it with two more field goals.Defensively, the Colts made big play after big play, too.Elliott lost 2 yards and the ball on fourth-and-1 from the Colts 3, Dallas was knocked out of field-goal range on Tyquan Lewis‘ sack on the Cowboys’ final chance in the first half, Pierre Desir and Darius Leonard each ended drives by breaking up passes in the second half and George Odum capped it with a late interception.Mack took care of the rest.“He ran well https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jack-Doyle-Jersey , he does all the little things really, really well,” Luck said.STAT PACKCowboys: Dallas lost its first game in the series since 2002 and finished with no sacks and only three quarterback hits. … The Cowboys finished with 292 yards, their lowest total since acquiring Cooper in a trade.Colts: Luck was 16 of 27 for 192 yards while T.Y. Hilton caught five passes for 85 yards despite not practicing all week because of an ankle injury. … Lewis had two of the Colts three sacks.INJURY REPORTCowboys: Right guard Zack Martin missed the first game of his career with an injured left knee. Dallas improvised by moving left guard Connor Williams to right guard and inserting Xavier Su’a-Filo at right guard. But Su’a-Filo left early in the second quarter with an eye injury and did not return.Colts: Veteran backup Joe Haeg replaced right guard Mark Glowinski (ankle) in the starting lineup and defensive tackle Al Woods left in the third quarter with an injured leg and did not return.THEY SAID ITCowboys: “The field goal just before halftime seemed to demoralize our team,” team owner Jerry Jones said.Colts: “Zeke doesn’t get stopped too much in that situation,” Reich said of the goal-line stand. “I don’t know what the numbers are but it was a huge play.”UP NEXTCowboys: Get a second chance to clinch the division title next Sunday when they host Tampa Bay.Colts: Close out their home schedule next weekend when Eli Manning and the New York Giants return to Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since winning the Super Bowl after the 2011 season. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts‘ defense appears to be rounding into form.Rookie linebacker Darius Leonard leads the league in tackles. Safeties Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker look healthy. The sacks and turnovers are up, the miscues are down and first-year defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus sees things coming together.No, it’s not a perfect start but for a defense that has traditionally finished near the bottom of the league, this is progress.“It’s not as clean as it should be in terms of execution,” Eberflus said Tuesday. “The alignments are off a little bit and the angles we tackle at have to improve, but you can see the guys understand it (the system) a little better.”Eberflus expected the transition from the previous 3-4 front to the more traditional 4-3 to take time.But things have gone faster and smoother than almost anyone anticipated.Three weeks into the season, the Colts’ defense is ranked No. 16 overall and No. 15 against both the run and the pass. Only 12 teams have allowed fewer points than Indy’s 63.With 10 sacks, Indy is almost halfway to last season’s 16-game total (25) and only seven teams have more takeaways than the Colts (five).The biggest beneficiary has been Leonard, a second-round draft pick out of South Carolina State who already has 41 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery as he continues to learn the system.“Football is football, so I think it’s pretty easy,” he said. “I think it’s really just about just how hard we practice, 24-7. We practice hard.”Leonard isn’t the only one thriving in Eberflus’ system, the same version made popular by Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay.The oft-injured Geathers produced a career-high 11 tackles each of the past two weeks. Defensive end Margus Hunt already has a career-high three sacks to go along with 10 tackles — more than he’s had in four of his first six NFL seasons.Hooker, Indy’s first-round pick in 2017, is flashing the playmaking ability Indy detected in college as his teammates get in sync.“I feel like we’re in a good spot, but we’ve still got a lot of work to put in Adam Vinatieri Jersey ,” Hooker said. “I think it’s guys buying into the coaching, believing (other) guys are running to the ball and just being physical out there.”Clearly, this is far from a finished product.While the defense has kept the Colts within striking distance, breakdowns still occur.In Sunday’s 20-16 loss at Super Bowl champion Philadelphia, the defense allowed Carson Wentz to burn nearly 11½ minutes on a fourth-quarter drive that resulted in the go-ahead touchdown. Indy aided the drive with four penalties, including a holding call on defensive end Jabaal Sheard after it appeared Indy had stopped Philadelphia on fourth-and-5 at the Colts 42.“I think he was just in there and it just happened. He was trying to run a stunt and it just happened,” Eberflus said. “We want no foolish penalties. So it comes down to judgment, concentration and self-control. Really, it comes down to those three categories and we’ll get better at it.”The improvements cannot be ignored.Over the previous three seasons, the Colts allowed 5.7, 6.0 and 5.7 yards per play. Not surprisingly, they missed the playoffs all three seasons.This year that number is down to 5.3 though Eberflus expects the number to continue dropping as players become more accustomed to their new roles. Eberflus is working with seven new starters and an eighth player, Sheard, who moved from outside linebacker back to defensive end.There could be more help on the way, too.Rookie defensive linemen Kemoko Turay showed signs of his pass-rushing potential in Sunday’s game, and Tyquan Lewis remains on injured reserve with an injured toe. Both were second-round picks.But even without those guys making a huge impact so far, Eberflus believes the defense is on schedule.“One of my mentors in coaching said, ‘You get what you emphasize and if you emphasize too much you don’t get anything,'” Eberflus said. “I think if you just hang your hat on a couple things, the rudiments of the game, that’s what you’ll see on tape. You’ve got to do a good job of coaching it up.”Notes: Indy has claimed cornerback Arthur Maulet off waivers from New Orleans and released running back Christine Michael. … The Colts also signed offensive tackle Rees Odhiambo and cornerback Lenzy Pipkins to the practice squad after releasing offensive tackle Will Holden and cornerback Tarvarus McFadden from the practice squad.