Self-inflicted mistakes and a very good Lions team was a recipe for a loss in Week 12 for the Indianapolis Colts, who are now 5-7 on the season.
Following that contest, we have Sunday’s snap count figures from Pro Football Focus. So what stood out?
By now, we have a good idea of where the playing time for each player stands, given that we are 12 games into the Colts’ season. However, every week, there are still a few noteworthy takeaways worth diving into.
So with help from PFF, here are the Colts’ snap count figures from Week 12, along with a few quick notes.
Colts snap counts on offense
| Quenton Nelson | G | 55 |
| Braden Smith | T | 55 |
| Dalton Tucker | G | 55 |
| Matt Goncalves | T | 55 |
| Anthony Richardson | QB | 55 |
| Tanor Bortolini | C | 55 |
| Jonathan Taylor | HB | 53 |
| Michael Pittman Jr. | WR | 41 |
| Alec Pierce | WR | 40 |
| Kylen Granson | TE | 35 |
| Andrew Ogletree | TE | 30 |
| Josh Downs | WR | 29 |
| Mo Alie-Cox | TE | 23 |
| Adonai Mitchell | WR | 12 |
| Ashton Dulin | WR | 10 |
| Trey Sermon | HB | 2 |
Quick takeaways
– By not making any offseason additions at running back to bolster the depth, the Colts showcased their confidence in the players behind Jonathan Taylor. However, playing-time-wise the last few weeks, I’m not sure confident is the word I’d use. Trey Sermon played just two snaps and Sunday and Tyler Goodson didn’t play any. It’s been a heavy workload for Taylor and looks like a trend that will continue.
– Once again, 12 snaps for AD Mitchell. He out-snapped Ashton Dulin, but that’s likely only because Dulin exited the game early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. As I’ve said before, I don’t get the lack of snaps for Mitchell. I don’t expect him to out-snap Pittman, Downs or Pierce, but he needs more than 12 snaps per game. There will be ups and downs but he brings juice and playing time will expedite the learning curve.
– Once again, a lot of snaps at tight end for little passing game production. There is, of course, a lot more that goes into that position, specifically blocking, but the Colts need more from that group.
Colts snap counts on defense
| Julian Blackmon | S | 72 |
| Zaire Franklin | LB | 72 |
| Kenny Moore II | CB | 72 |
| Nick Cross | S | 72 |
| Jaylon Jones | CB | 72 |
| E.J. Speed | LB | 70 |
| DeForest Buckner | DI | 54 |
| Dayo Odeyingbo | ED | 47 |
| Samuel Womack III | CB | 44 |
| Laiatu Latu | ED | 43 |
| Kwity Paye | ED | 40 |
| Grover Stewart | DI | 39 |
| Grant Stuard | LB | 27 |
| Tyquan Lewis | ED | 25 |
| Raekwon Davis | DI | 22 |
| Taven Bryan | DI | 20 |
| Rodney Thomas II | S | 2 |
Quick takeaways
– In Tyquan Lewis’ return after being on injured reserve since Week 5, not surprisingly, the Colts eased him back in with him playing 25 snaps–the fourth-most among his defensive end position group.
– The snap count figures between Sam Womack and Grant Stuard tell us how often the Colts were lined up in nickel versus their base 4-3 defense. Against Detroit’s offense, the Colts utilized their base look a decent amount (27 snaps for Stuard) against a very good rushing team.
– Latu continues to see his playing time steadily increase and for good reason with his level of play right now.
– Going back to the offseason, I wouldn’t have guessed that Raekwon Davis would be splitting playing time with Taven Bryan. When the Colts signed Davis, I thought he would slide right into that third spot in the defensive tackle rotation.