Colts’ Quenton Nelson Shows Dominance in Titans Clash

The Indianapolis Colts are back in the win column following a 38-30 victory over the Tennessee Titans. The game got a little dicey down the stretch, but the Colts were firmly in control for most of the afternoon.

The Colts were propelled by their elite rushing attack in this game, as the team ran for a franchise-record 335 rushing yards. Running back Jonathan Taylor and quarterback Anthony Richardson will deservedly get their praise in the media this week, but superstar guard Quenton Nelson also deserves his fair share of love for the performance.

Nelson was sensational in this game, posting the second-highest run blocking grade in the entire NFL this weekend according to Pro Football Focus. The Colts leaned on their star blocker on multiple short yardage plays and he was a key piece in several runs that broke for big gains. Simply put, Nelson was Nelson against the Titans.

Since offensive linemen rarely get the love they deserve following a game like this, let’s dive into a couple of Nelson’s best blocks of the weekend.

The Key Cog in Short Yardage

The Colts’ short-yardage offense has simplified in recent weeks. Instead of trying to fool defenses with an intricate design or, dare I say, throwing the football, the Colts have leaned on running their star running back or their bulldozer quarterback behind their best offensive lineman on short-yardage plays.

As it turns out, those plays tend to work for the Colts.

Nelson is a dominant force as a puller and he is a devastating displacer in the run game. If the Colts need a few yards to get to the sticks or to punch it into the endzone, it’s always smart to run it behind Nelson. He was the main escort on Richardson’s first touchdown run of the afternoon and he should have been the lead block on his would-be second touchdown as well (if it weren’t bizarrely overturned on replay).

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Block of the Game

Nelson had several blocks in this game that are worthy of mentioning, but this seemingly mundane rep on an eight yard run in the second quarter perfectly encapsulates the greatness of his play.

Nelson is, and always will be, known for his dominant physical traits, but he is one of the more cerebral players in the league on the offensive line. This clip showcases both the physical and the mental prowess in his game. He washes out the B gap defensive tackle with an outstanding combo block that gives Taylor enough room to gain positive yards.

The play could end here with a 4-5 yard gain off of this great interior block, but Nelson takes it one step further. He gets his eyes up and locates the crashing linebacker in the run lane. Nelson then pivots and washes out the linebacker with ease, creating a solid eight yard gain for his running back on the play. It may not be an explosive pancake block, but this play fired me up as a fan of great offensive line play.

Teach-Tape Player

The Colts leaned on their trap/wham run game on Sunday to great success against the Titans’ defense. There are many elements that go into making these plays work, but the core aspect is tricking the interior defensive tackle.

These run plays can only work if the opposing defensive tackle gets vertical penetration too far up the field. After the Colts already hit the Titans with multiple runs like this, a good defensive tackle like T’Vondre Sweat wasn’t going to fall for the same tricks on the interior.

That is where Quenton Nelson comes in. The Colts teach their offensive linemen to flash hands at the defensive tackle to sell the trap run, but it is difficult to pull off every time in live action on gamedays. Nelson executes this run easily, however, and makes this block much easier for rookie Matt Goncalves on the trap call.

Nelson perfectly sets up like he is going to block Sweat on the interior before jumping out wide once Sweat is in the right spot for the trap. This makes Goncalves’ block much easier on the dominant defensive tackle, and Taylor is able to scoot around the block for a solid gain. Again, plays like this are what truly define Nelson as a player.

The Bottom Line

Nelson is a future Hall of Fame player having a fantastic season for the Colts. The team just set a franchise record for rushing yards in a game, and Nelson was a big reason why that happened.

In a year marred by inconsistency and disappointing play, Nelson has been a consistent bright spot. He is a true superstar player for this team and one of the players this Colts team can build around going forward, as they’ve done every year since he was drafted.

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