INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts receiver Alec Pierce spent his first two NFL seasons showing promise.
On Sunday, he took a big step toward living up to his potential.
The former Cincinnati Bearcats star produced the best single-game performance of his career — three receptions, 125 yards and his first TD of the season — in Indy’s 29-27 loss to defending AFC South champ Houston.
“That’s what I pride myself in doing, I think it’s the best part of my game,” he said, referring to his two catches longer than 55 yards. “I’m just glad to be able to do it for the team.”
So are the Colts, who selected Pierce in the second round of the 2022 draft, No. 53 overall. What they liked was the speed and body control he used to make both contested and acrobatic catches downfield.
His productivity, however, waned.
Critics complained about Pierce’s route-running and the vanishing acts he sometimes pulled during games. He’s only had one other 100-yard game and only four games with more catches than Sunday’s with three of those four coming during his rookie season.
This season already looks different for Pierce.
The pressure to become more consistent only increased when Indy upgraded its receiving group by selecting former Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell in the second round of this year’s draft and again when slot receiver Josh Downs suffered a high ankle sprain in early August. Downs still hasn’t returned.
So Pierce needed to step forward and the guy who never soured on him, quarterback Anthony Richardson, kept believing in Pierce. On Sunday, he was rewarded.
“If I just put the ball in a decent spot for him and allow him that 50-50 chance, I feel like AP is going to go up there and get it,” said Richardson, who slipped on the laser-like TD pass to Pierce for Indy’s first score. “I’ve got major faith in him going up.”
Coach Shane Steichen called it the best pass he’s ever seen.
Pierce again showed what he could do by hauling in a jump ball for a 57-yard gain on third-and-15, setting up Richardson’s powerful 3-yard run on fourth-and-goal with 2:14 to play.
“That explosive — that’s what we were talking about, carrying that stuff over from training camp into the season,” Steichen said. “Obviously, he made some big-time plays down the field for us today.”
Now the Colts want to find out if Pierce can make those special plays become the norm each week, starting in Green Bay next weekend.
What’s working
Deep balls. Richardson looked like a natural reading the defense and giving his receivers a chance to make plays on the two long completions to Pierce and the 54-yard TD pass to Ashton Dulin. He hit both receivers in stride on the scoring plays.
What needs work
First downs. While Indy scored 27 points, usually enough to win, the offense ran only 43 plays in 20 minutes of possession time. That’s simply not enough. If the Colts can’t sustain drives, the defense will wear down as it did Sunday when Houston burned nearly 17 of the last 22 minutes. The result: Two scoring drives before the Texans ran out the clock.
Stock up
Special teams. Steichen hired coordinator Brian Mason because of his propensity for finding ways to block punts. He got one in his first season with Indy. He matched that total Sunday when Segun Olubi nearly took the ball right off Tommy Townsend’s foot — without touching the Texans punter. Jonthan Taylor scored on a 5-yard TD run on the next play.
Stock down
Tight ends. Steichen uses tight ends to spread the field and mix things up. But Indy got nothing out of them against Houston. Richardson threw only two balls their way against Houston. The first was intercepted when Kylen Granson slipped in the red zone and the second was an incompletion to Mo Alie-Cox in the end zone with 3:13 remaining.
Injuries
Though the Colts didn’t win, they did at least escape relatively unscathed. Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner injured his back, but Steichen said he was feeling better after getting treatment Monday. Steichen said decisions would be made later this week on Downs and K Matt Gay, who missed Sunday’s game with a hernia.
Key numbers
7.6 — Indy averaged 7.6 yards per play, finishing with 303 total yards.
Next steps
If the Colts continue to get the big plays, they will be competitive. But this season’s winning formula requires much more. They must find more balance within the offense — and keep the chains moving.
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