The Tantalizing Ten: Dolphins Edition
Intro: Each week, we will take a look at 10 players that will have a big impact in the game. Who are the "Tantalizing Ten" when the Colts (6-8) play their final road game of the season on Sunday against the Dolphins (5-9).
In the last three weeks, Donte Moncrief has combined to haul in just seven passes. Good things are still happening when Moncrief touches the ball, but those chances have been too few. No matter what happens in the final two weeks, Moncrief has shown that he's a definite building piece for the future of this offense.
For an eighth time this season, the Colts will turn to their 40-year-old backup quarterback in a starting role. From head to toe, Matt Hasselbeck is beat up. The Colts offensive line must keep the likes of Olivier Vernon and Ndamukong Suh off the Colts quarterback this weekend. Hasselbeck has had to miss game action each of the past three weeks due to injury.
The Colts got their franchise left tackle back to playing last week. Anthony Castonzo returned after missing the previous three weeks with a sprained MCL. The Colts need Castonzo to fortify the edge again on Sunday with Olivier Vernon and his 7.0 sacks coming off the edge.
Ryan Tannehill's numbers this season (61.2 percent, 3,529 yards, 22 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 87.3 quarterback rating) are consistent with the quarterback he's been in his four NFL seasons. The offensive line continues to not be able to protect Tannehill though. He's been sacked 177 times in 62 career games (38 times this year).
Frank Gore is nearing numbers that a Colts player hasn't put up in nearly a decade. He's doing it despite the run game really struggling in recent weeks. In the past seven weeks, Gore has averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. The running game as a whole has lacked production with Andrew Luck sidelined.
One of the lone bright spots of late has been the play of rookie Quan Bray. The undrafted free agent out of Auburn has provided a consistent spark in the return game. An offseason-storyline to watch in 2016 will be to see if Bray can factor into an offensive role next season.
In the last five weeks, Lamar Miller has had more than 12 carries just one time. The Dolphins are 1-4 in those games. Miller, the team's starting running back, has been spelled lately by rookie Jay Ajayi now healthy. Miller ranks sixth in the NFL with seven rushing touchdowns.
When we look back on the Colts 2015 free agency class, Kendall Langford will rank near, or at the top of, the most important additions. Langford has not only continued to be durable (126 consecutive starts, the most of any current defensive lineman), but he's also produced with 4.0 sacks (second highest output of his career).
The Colts will count on Davis again this week to try and neutralize the dynamic Jarvis Landry. Compared to DeAndre Hopkins, Landry is used much differently. The Dolphins have lined up Landry all over the field, including the backfield, trying to get their explosive return man the ball in multiple ways.
From a pure sacks number (4.5), it's been a relatively quite year by the lofty standards of Ndamukong Suh. He's still racking up plenty of tackles though and will force the Colts interior to take its game to another level for the All-Pro defensive tackle.
