The Indianapolis Colts’ offensive line unit will face a good test this week, going up against the Miami Dolphins’ defensive front.
“They got good rushers,” Shane Steichen said of the Dolphins. “Obviously, they signed (Matthew) Judon. (Bradley) Chubb’s been there–a good rusher. (Jaelan) Phillips, I know he’s had some injuries, but when he’s healthy, he’s going pretty good. And Chop Robinson is a hell of a player, too.
“Then inside, obviously with (Zach) Sieler, he’s a veteran player that’s really good and (Benito) Jones, and they got (Kenneth) Grant from Michigan. That D-line’s really solid, so we gotta do a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage.”
Against both the run and the pass last season, Seiler was one of the more disruptive defensive tackles in football by PFF’s metrics. Robinson, meanwhile, was among the most efficient defensive ends at generating pressure.
The Dolphins then added Grant and Judon this offseason to that unit.
Adding to the difficulty that comes with facing this Dolphins’ defense is coordinator Anthony Weaver’s scheme, which as Steichen mentioned, features a lot of movement and mixing things up on the back end.
From the quarterback’s perspective, this can lead to hesitation and additional time for the defensive front to get home.
The belief is that the Colts should have a stout offensive line unit once again. However, they will be relying on two inexperienced players inside, with Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves, both first-time starters.
While both seemed to acclimate themselves well over the summer to their full-time roles, a learning curve for both should be expected–the question is, how steep will it be?
We can certainly focus all our attention on the play of Daniel Jones, but without time in the pocket or a steady run game to lean on, his chances of being successful will be significantly decreased.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts vs. Dolphins: Play of Indianapolis OL key to game
