The Indianapolis Colts went home with a losing record after falling short of the Minnesota Vikings in the Week 9 edition of Sunday night football. Statistically, the loss saw Indy’s worst offensive performance of the season.

The Colts’ offense produced just 227 total yards and 13 first downs, both season lows. Those numbers aren’t pretty, but there are some positives to take from the loss. Rookie offensive linemen David Tucker and Matt Gonçalves Both stepped up to the plate in prime time to protect the veteran quarterback. Joe Skinny.

Among all rookies, Tucker and Goncalves ranked 9th and 10th, respectively, in lowest pressure percentage allowed by linemen (per The 33rd Team | unknown).

In 30 pass blocking snaps, Tucker and Goncalves allowed two pressures. Considering the high blitz rate of the Vikings defense, there is at least one positive for the Colts. Despite strong performances throughout the game, the O-Line fell apart on the final drive and allowed Flacco to be sacked three times.

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Joining the two rookies are lifelong veterans in Quenton Nelson, ryan kellyand Braden Smith. According Focus on professional football By the metrics, Nelson has produced another solid season, but Kelly and Smith haven’t been playing their best football. Tucker (64.4) and Goncalves (66.1) outperformed Kelly (50.1) and Smith (63.3) in overall rating against the Vikings.

Seeing young linemen moving up the depth chart is inspiring, but Kelly’s regression doesn’t look good on the field. For a player who emphasized what the “standard” should be for the team after Richardson’s tap-out, he hasn’t set the tone for his group.

Finding success in the running game will be important against the Buffalo Bills. Keeping an eye on who is making key blocks will be interesting for Colts fans who want to find bad breakouts in the trenches.

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