Colts’ Monday Morning Awards: Week 4 vs. Steelers

MVP of the game: Joe Flacco / Nick Cross

Flacco continues the trend of Colts backup players coming in and impacting the game. Anthony Richardson is out with an injury, but before you all say we should use him, and he looked much better, Flacco used the same scenario that helped Gardner Minshew last year. Defenses have been preparing for this all week , going up against a mobile quarterback with little to no short/intermediate accuracy, and then they have to go up against an inmobile quarterback who can consistently hit those intermediate passes. Either way, the veteran quarterback finished the game flawlessly with over 150 passing yards and two well-thrown touchdowns. Nick Cross continues to prove everyone who doubted him wrong this year as he continues to be the team’s defensive MVP. This time, he complemented his solid tackling with a forced fumble (though it was Pickens’ own fault rather than Cross’s) near the goal line.

Dud of the game: Matt Gay

It was difficult to pick a player for this game as I couldn’t find a player who was having a bad day given the circumstances, but Matt Gay disappointed again. He had the perfect chance to put his troubles behind him with a 54-yard kick that put the game at 20-3 and virtually out of reach. Instead, he missed the ball wide left, giving the Steelers excellent field position, which they took advantage of and scored a touchdown. Since the Ravens game, Gay now has a 30/40 field goal attempt rate, which is among the worst in the NFL.

Play: Justin Fields’ 12-yard loss due to a missed snap

This had little to do with the Colts, but was a big breakthrough at a key moment in the game. The Steelers were striving for at least a safe overtime drive. On the first play, Fields gains 12 yards, then a 9-yard completion to Van Jefferson, another set of downs after a 4-yard rush from Harris and suddenly it’s first and 10 on their own 42-yard line. Then, at the best possible time, there was a miscommunication between Fields and the center, resulting in a fumble that cost the Steelers 12 yards that they were never able to recover.

Worst move of the game: AR’s fight after he comes back into play

While I’m all for Richardson running more often, there needs to be a balance between taking a hit on every single scramble and not running. Coming back from a few missed plays, the Colts ran a zone read and AR kept the ball. He was hit late by Minkah Fitzpatrick (who then had the audacity to complain about the refs) and thrown out of the game. I’m 100% sure AR would have stayed on the field if it had been a one-possession game near the playoffs, but given the circumstances, the Colts felt it best to sit him out this game let.

Best Position Group: Offensive Line

I was close to awarding the game’s MVP to the entire offensive line, which didn’t miss a beat against one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts, even without starting center Ryan Kelly. Sure, they took a few hits and pressure as expected, but overall I would say the Colts won the match.

Rookie of the Week: Tanor Bortolini

Speaking of the offensive line, what an NFL debut from Bortolini, one that has to make Chris Ballard really happy about the position’s long-term prospects if Ryan Kelly decides to retire. His solid play also helps a lot because it allows the Colts to handle Kelly’s injury conservatively.