INDIANAPOLIS — It's time for Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson to place yet another honor on the mantle, as Sporting News has included him on its 2019 NFL All-Pro Team.
It was a banner second year for the Colts' mauling left guard, who earned a spot in the Pro Bowl, the Associated Press' All-Pro First Team and Sporting News' All-Pro Team for the second consecutive season.
After also earning spots on Pro Football Focus' All-Pro First Team and the PFWA's All-NFL and All-AFC Teams, Nelson received 38 percent of votes to put him on Sporting News' All-Pro Team, which was tied for the highest percentage of votes among all offensive linemen.
According to Pro Football Focus, Nelson was the league's second-highest-ranked guard with a grade of 91.2, which was also second among all offensive linemen and tops among left guards.
He committed only three penalties all season, which made him one of just 13 guards and one of 25 offensive linemen to have three or fewer penalties. PFF noted that Nelson allowed 20 total quarterback pressures — 18 hurries, two hits and not a single sack. That made him one of five guards to not allow a sack and one of eight guards to allow 20 or fewer pressures. Among all offensive linemen, Nelson was one of 24 to allow 20 or fewer pressures and one of nine to allow no sacks.
Nelson earned a pass-blocking grade of 82.8, which ranked 14th among all qualifying offensive linemen and sixth among guards. His 90.1 run-blocking grade ranked third among all linemen and second among guards.
After the Colts posted six games with at least 150 rushing yards, PFF graded their offense as having the second-best run-blocking unit in the league with an 85.1 grade, led by Nelson. The line helped get running back Marlon Mack to his first 1,000-yard rushing season as well, while the team hit 2,000 rushing yards for the first time since 1994.
Nelson was arguably the face of a Colts ground game that ranked fifth in the NFL in carries per game (29.4), tied for fifth in run plays of 20-plus yards (14), seventh in rushing (133.1 YPG), tied for ninth in run plays of 40-plus yards (three), tied for 10th in rushing touchdowns (17), and tied for 11th in yards per carry (4.5).
PFF gave the Colts the 11th-best grade in pass blocking with a 75.1. They were tied for allowing the ninth-fewest sacks (32), their sack percentage (5.87) ranked tied for eighth and they had eight games with either one or zero sacks surrendered.
