INDIANAPOLIS — Margus the Menace definitely came to play in the snow.
After a standout performance in the trenches for the Indianapolis Colts' defensive interior last Sunday in the team's matchup against the Buffalo Bills, defensive end Margus Hunt has been named to Pro Football Focus' Week 14 "Team of the Week."
You can see the entire Week 14 team by clicking here, but here's what PFF's Sam Monson had to say about Hunt's performance, specifically:
Defensive interior – Margus Hunt, Indianapolis Colts
PFF Grade: 89.5
Elite Stat: Margus Hunt had two total pressures this week.
With just 17 passing snaps, this was never going to be a game to rack up big pressure numbers, but the big interior lineman was a monster in the run game. Hunt was consistently left to Buffalo tight ends to try and block, and they simply couldn't handle the bigger man in the snowy and slippery conditions. Hunt was destroying blocks on the edge for the Colts defense all game long, and even got his fair share of positive plays against right tackle Jordan Mills, but it wasn't enough to slow down LeSean McCoy.
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Hunt officially finished Sunday's game with seven tackles (two for a loss), and his pressure on Bills quarterback Joe Webb late in the fourth quarter played a major role in safety Matthias Farley's interception, which was nearly turned into a game-winning 43-yard field goal in the last seconds by Adam Vinatieri.
But that attempt would be off the mark, sending the game into overtime, where the Bills would squeak out a 13-7 victory in the blizzard-like conditions at New Era Field.
Hunt has been a terrific pickup for the Colts' defense this season, first as a key piece of depth for the defensive line, but more recently playing in place of Henry Anderson, who suffered a season-ending throat injury Week 9 against the Houston Texans.
On the season, Hunt has collected 21 tackles (four for a loss) with one sack, seven quarterback hits and two passes defensed, while he also has a blocked kick on special teams.
"He's played well," Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said of Hunt. "He's a unique player in the fact that he can play (special) teams and be effective in teams blocking kicks and playing on our punt return unit. … Defensively, as far as the scheme being an end in the 4-3 compared to an end in the 3-4 for us, his body type and his length and his size is a great fit for what we call the five technique.
"He understands it – he knows our defense inside and out," Pagano continued. "His power and his length – he gives us good inside push in pass rush situations. … He's done a good job."
