The Indianapolis Colts (9-6) were dealt a rough hand all week leading up to this Christmas match-up with the Arizona Cardinals (10-5).

Many of the Colts’ best players, unfortunately, ended up on the reserve/COVID list, some even just hours before kick-off. Many of these names, including Pro-Bowlers Darius Leonard and Quenton Nelson, alongside most of the starting offensive line and other key starters on both sides of the ball would be out for this game and perhaps even the next in a very close playoff race.

It was looking grim for Carson Wentz, Jonathan Taylor, and company to be able to pull off a win in such a difficult spot and missing so many players, but as the team loves to say it’s simply “Next Man Up” and those men had big shoes to fill. For the most part, the guys did just that, and fought hard all game in a sloppy, back and forth brawl that saw Indianapolis narrowly come out on top and keep hopes of a playoff berth, and perhaps a division title alive.

Here’s our instant analysis from this Christmas night victory:

This was the game where somebody had to step up and make big plays to give the team a chance, and multiple players were up to that challenge. With multiple starters missing in the secondary, two guys that really stuck out were safety George Odum and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers. Both provided key pass break-ups to kill momentum that was swinging in Arizona’s favor. They provided rock-solid coverage all night long and played a big part in the Cardinals failing to generate many big plays.

This was also a game where Arizona seemed desperate to limit Jonathan Taylor, and they found success doing it more than most teams Indianapolis has faced. That mindset meant that Carson Wentz was going to have to lead this Colts team to victory this week and put everything on his shoulders. Wentz playing behind a patchwork offensive line that lost even more starters to injury as the game went on, delivered just that as he made some spectacular throws and showed up big when his team needed it most.

Wentz went 18-of-28 passing for 225 yards and two scores, including a beautifully dropped in pass to the back end corner of the endzone for wideout Dezmon Patmon’s first career touchdown catch. Wentz may still have many doubters inside and outside of the fan base, but he showed tonight why this team and coaching staff believes in him as much as they do to be the leader that they need at the helm of this football team.

While the depth offensive line did an admirable job filling in, there were some shortcomings in the running game with the holes we’ve become so accustomed to seeing paved for Taylor just not there. Even so, Taylor was still able to manage over 100 total yards rushing, and the protection for Wentz outside of a couple of sacks was better than expected.

Unsurprisingly it was full-time starter Eric Fisher who seemed to be the weak point in protection again, allowing yet another strip sack fumble of Wentz that was thankfully wiped away by a penalty before Fisaher was injured just a few plays later. The line play seemed to improve after his replacement, Julién Davenport took over the blindside duties at left tackle.

The only other negative was the poor kicking game by both teams as the points left on the field were another major factor in the Colts winning this game. However, Colts kicker Michael Badgley did miss another field goal, his third week in a row with at least one missed kick. Could we see Rodrigo Blankenship considered for the kicking duties moving forward?

The Colts have now won eight of their last 10 games and are on fire heading into the final two weeks of the season. With another win, the Colts should be able to virtually lock in at the very least a playoff berth. Unlikely as it is, should Tennessee lose out, and the Colts win out, the Colts would also win the AFC South division title. Indianapolis heads back home for Week 17 to face the Las Vegas Raiders (7-7), another team still very much in the hunt for one of those coveted wild card spots.

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Everything we know from the Colts' 22-16 win over the Cardinals.

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