Even in a 41-23 loss to Baltimore at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts found a couple of players worth putting on the league-wide spotlight. Right guard Matt Goncalves and kickoff returner Seth McGowan landed on Pro Football Focus’ NFL Week 1 Team of the Week after strong individual showings in an otherwise rough Sunday.
Goncalves was one of the few bright spots in Indianapolis’ ground game. His 91.2 overall grade was the second-best among NFL guards for the week, fueled by an 87.6 run-blocking mark and an 88.8 pass-blocking grade. In run blocking, he checked in fifth among guards, just behind Colts left guard Quenton Nelson, whose 87.9 ranked fourth.
That matters because the Colts’ most consistent production against Baltimore came on the ground. Indianapolis finished with 102 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries from Jonathan Taylor, plus a four-yard scramble by Daniel Jones, and did much of that work while trailing by multiple scores for long stretches. PFF credited Goncalves or the space between him and center Tanor Bortolini with 37 of Taylor’s yards, along with four first downs and both touchdowns on 10 carries.
Goncalves was just as clean in protection. He ranked second among guards in pass blocking and did not allow a single pressure across 34 pass-blocking snaps, producing a perfect 100.0% pass-block efficiency rating.
McGowan’s day came in the return game, where he posted the top grade among all punt and kickoff returners at 87.3. He brought back five kickoffs for 164 yards, good for a 32.8-yard average, and he did it without a fair catch or muff. His biggest burst came late in the fourth quarter, when a 66-yard return set the Colts up at the Baltimore 30-yard line.
He also flashed earlier with a 52-yard return in the second quarter that would have moved Indianapolis into Ravens territory, but a holding penalty wiped it out.
McGowan’s 164 total return yards are second in the NFL, and among players with at least three kickoff returns, his 32.8-yard average ranks third. But his work on offense didn’t match what he did in the return game.
He logged six snaps at running back, all in passing situations, and was asked to stay in and protect on two of them. Both times, Baltimore’s blitz got the better of him - one rep ended in a sack, the other in a hit on Jones.
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