Colts Overcome Adversity To Beat Cardinals, Move…

This was the kind of win that put the strength of the entire Colts organization on display.

Reich gave a game ball to general manager Chris Ballard, recognizing the work put in by him and his front office to acquire all the next men up who played so well on Saturday. Guys like guard Chris Reed, guard/tackle Matt Pryor and safety Jahleel Addae were brought in via offseason free agency (Reed), a cut-down day trade (Pryor) and the in-season free agent market (Addae).

The Colts saw meaningful contributions from guys like wide receiver Dezmon Patmon, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, center Danny Pinter, linebacker E.J. Speed and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, which flexed the muscles of their amateur scouting department. All of those guys except Odeyingbo were Day 3 picks by Ballard and the Colts’ amateur scouting department.

“When you get a day like this, and you need everybody on the roster, you thank the man who put it together,” Reich said.

And from a coaching standpoint, the high-velocity unpredictability of COVID-19 and in-game injuries challenged every single member of Reich’s staff. Reich said the depth chart special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone handed him Saturday was “a complete turnaround” from where it usually would be, with guys elevated not only from the practice squad but from their usual roles on Ventrone’s ‘teams units.

Pryor played his first game at guard with the Colts (he previously played there with the Eagles) while Speed blew past his career high snap total – he played 65 snaps on Saturday, easily topping his prior career high of 28.

The Colts didn’t know they would need Pryor until placing Nelson on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Friday; they didn’t know they had a need for Speed until Saturday afternoon.

“Gutsy win,” quarterback Carson Wentz said. “Gutsy win in all three phases. We woke up this morning and found out more guys were sick and missing, tweaking the game plan this morning. The coaches did a great job to put us in the best position to succeed, and obviously, it was an up and down game. But for us to finish the way we did, that was huge.”

Perhaps most impressively, the Colts – missing 80 percent of their starting offensive line and, for all but two snaps of the game, their top run blocking tight end – still got a 108-yard game out of Jonathan Taylor (they’re now 9-0 this season when Taylor rushes for over 100 yards). Through the air, Reich, offensive coordinator Marcus Brady and Wentz found solutions to kick-start a sterling late-game showing from their quarterback, who finished 18/28 for 225 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Again: This was with an offensive line that, at one point in the game, was down to one reserve – practice squad call-up Carter O’Donnell – when Reed exited with a back issue.

“It was just a battle of attrition,” Reed said. “Basically just kind of wearing them down and getting a run here, getting a run there, getting a big pass. So kind of just keeping on calling what we call and playing how we play and I think that worked out in the end.”

From an offensive standpoint, to be down four of five O-line starters and still feel confident in “calling what we call and playing how we play” is indicative of how well this team was built, how well this team is coached and how well this team can play.