INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts may not have been able to close out the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 — falling, 34-23 — but there were still some positive things to take away.
When Pro Football Focus sat down to review the film and dished out their grades, there were five Colts players who received top-10 grades at their respective positions.
Matthias Farley
Safety No. 5 (82.2), 23 snaps (41 percent)
Farley only saw 23 snaps, but he made them count. He was credited with three tackles but one play in particular stands out above the rest.
With just 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter and the game tied, 10-10, the Bengals were putting together a decent looking drive. From their own 42-yard line, quarterback Andy Dalton fired a quick pass to the left side to All-Pro receiver A.J. Green, who was able to make the first defender miss. However, Farley flew in and punched the ball out of Green's grasp, rookie linebacker Darius Leonard pouncing on the fumble. The technique by Farley is one that the Colts' defensive backs practice with regularity during the week.
Andrew Luck
Quarterback No. 6 (82.1), 82 snaps (100 percent)
In his first game since the 2016 regular season finale, Luck chucked the ball a whopping 53 times, completing a career-high 39 passes (73.6 percent). He also threw for 319 yards, which was his 27th career game with at least 300 yards passing, moving him past Johnny Unitas (26) into second place all-time in franchise history. Luck also threw for two touchdowns and an interception. He finished with a 93.2 passer rating and a 77.8 ESPN QBR, good for eighth-best in the NFL this week.
Jabaal Sheard
Edge Defender No. 9 (79.4), 40 snaps (71 percent)
Sheard continues his penchant for earning high grades from PFF as he tallied two tackles, three quarterback hurries and one batted pass. Although he was unable to register any sacks, Sheard dids influence Dalton at times, clearly winning some of his matchups with Cincinnati's tackles.
Based on the Colts' new defensive system where we will see more rotation between the defensive linemen, Sheard showed he can still contribute despite seeing just 71 percent of the defensive snaps.
Margus Hunt
Edge Defender No. 10 (79.0), 42 snaps (75 percent)
If this was a "revenge game" for Hunt, the former Bengal, then he sure made it count.
He was able to power through the right side of the Bengals' line for two sacks in the second half. On the first, he maneuvered through and brought Dalton down for an eight-yard loss. On the second sack, Hunt got a tremendous jump on the right tackle and promptly got to Dalton for a six-yard loss.
Hunt added a third tackle — also for a loss — as well as another quarterback pressure.
Ryan Kelly
Center No. 5 (70.9), 82 snaps (100 percent)
It's usually a good thing when you don't have to mention individual offensive linemen. Kelly stayed out of the spotlight by allowing no sacks and not registering any penalties. Overall, Luck did not deal with much pressure in his face, which goes to show the job the Colts' interior offensive line did against All-Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins.
PFF gave Kelly a 73.4 grade in pass protection and a 69.1 in run blocking.
