INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts put together their most dominating performance in quite some time on Sunday when they rolled the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium, 37-5.
The result of that type of performance is that the spotlight will be placed on several players. Pro Football Focus put two Colts on its Week 7 NFL Team of the Week as well as seven others who finished in the top 10 of their position groups.
Mike Mitchell
Safety No. 1 (93.1), 51 snaps (91 percent)
Mitchell has only been with the Colts for two games, and he's made PFF's Team of the Week and been the league's top-graded safety on both occasions.
"Mitchell has looked like one of the best safeties in the NFL since taking the field last week. Following up on his Week 6 Team of the Week appearance, he once again delivered a big performance, including allowing just 10 receiving yards on two receptions on throws where he was the primary defender in coverage, and coming away with an interception."
The 10-year vet had seven tackles in Week 6 and was an enforcer in the box. He followed that up with seven more tackles in Week 7, including one for a loss. He added playmaking ability to his brief Colts resume', forcing a fumble in the second quarter that was recovered by linebacker Darius Leonard, and then picking off an errant Derek Anderson pass later in the quarter.
Kemoko Turay
Edge Defender No. 8 (87.2), 40 snaps (71 percent)
The rookie defensive end just keeps getting better. He turned back the clock on Sunday, reminding us of the days of Dwight Freeney.
Turay sacked Anderson at the beginning of the fourth quarter, causing the quarterback to fumble, which was recovered by Colts cornerback Quincy Wilson and returned to Buffalo's two-yard line. The play effectively put the nail in the Bills' coffin, as the Colts would score a touchdown three plays later to make the score 31-5.
Turay finished his highest-graded day of the season with three tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits, three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.
T.Y. Hilton
Wide Receiver No. 1 (84.9), 35 snaps (53 percent)
After missing much of the last two and a half games with chest and hamstring injuries, the Colts worked Hilton back slowly, as he saw just more than half the team's offensive snaps. The Ghost made them count, however, as he was the highest-graded receiver in the NFL in Week 7.
Hilton caught two goal-line touchdowns from quarterback Andrew Luck on the day, both showing evidence of the duo's chemistry. In total, Hilton caught all four of his targets for 25 yards.
Darius Leonard
Linebacker No. 7 (81.5), 52 snaps (93 percent)
The rookie second-round pick totaled 17 tackles (12 solo) against the Bills, reclaiming the league lead in total stops at 79.
Leonard was also the one who recovered Mitchell's forced fumble in the second quarter. He had six tackles in the first half and then added seven more just in the third quarter alone.
This is Leonard's second-best game this year according to PFF, trailing only his 19-tackle performance in Week 2 against the Washington Redskins. Along with missing no tackles Sunday, Leonard also had his fewest yards per catch (7.3) and yards after catch (22) allowed.
Mark Glowinski
Offensive Guard No. 2 (79.8), 66 snaps (100 percent)
Glowinski joined the Colts' starting offensive line in Week 6 against the New York Jets after right guard Matt Slauson was lost for the year to a back injury. He also joined Mitchell on PFF's Week 7 Team of the Week:
"Glowinski was solid as a run-blocker but it was in pass protection where he really stood out. From 27 pass-blocking snaps, he didn't allow a single sack, hit or hurry, giving him a 100.0 pass-blocking efficiency rating, tied for the best mark among offensive linemen in the league this week."
We actually highlighted Glowinski before the game on Sunday, pointing out that he may be developing into a solid starting NFL lineman and growing with the rest of this young unit.
Marlon Mack
Running Back No. 5 (79.7), 37 snaps (56 percent)
Mack had a career day on Sunday, so it's no surprise to see him as one of the league's top backs for the week. He set new single-game career highs in carries (19), rushing yards (126), total yards (159) and total touchdowns (two).
A hamstring injury has limited Mack to just three games this season. In Week 2, he did well but re-aggravated the injury, and the Colts weren't able to completely commit to the run game last week in Week 6 because of a large deficit against the Jets.
Against the Bills, the Colts controlled the game from start to finish, and it allowed us to see a full game's worth of the new and improved Marlon Mack, who has worked on becoming a better inside runner in his second season. He even had a couple nice blitz pickups in pass protection.
Andrew Luck
Quarterback No. 6 (76.6), 58 snaps (88 percent)
Because of the Colts' success in the run game, Luck didn't put up the passing yardage numbers that he has in the last three weeks (376.7 YPG), but he still had four touchdown passes and completed almost 74 percent of his throws.
His 20 touchdown passes now trails only Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (22) for the league lead.
Luck had his best game of the season on Sunday based on both ESPN QBR (93.7) and official NFL passer rating (131.5), but PFF has it has his third-best behind Week 4 (90.1) and Week 1 (82.3).
Jordan Wilkins
Running Back No. 9 (74.9), 15 snaps (23 percent)
Joining Mack near the top among the NFL's running backs in Week 7 is rookie fifth-round pick Wilkins.
The Colts' offensive line was opening up big holes for the Colts' running backs to run through, and Wilkins was one of the prime beneficiaries, totaling 46 yards on six carries (7.7 avg) and having his best day, according to PFF.
Wilkins' 46 yards was his second-highest total of the season after his 61 yards in Week 2. His 7.7 average yards per carry was easily his highest, although it was his third game averaging at least six yards per carry.
Ryan Kelly
Center No. 5 (64.8), 59 snaps (89 percent)
The running game won't get far without a good push up front, so it's no shock to see another Colts lineman on this list.
In 37 snaps in pass protection, Kelly didn't allow a single hurry/pressure, hit or sack. He also didn't have any penalties. His 83.0 pass blocking grade was fourth among all centers.
Kelly has done a good job throughout the season opening up holes in the run game and keeping rushers at bay so Luck doesn't have consistent pressure in his face. Through seven weeks, Kelly is PFF's No. 7-rated center.
