Indianapolis Colts: 3 Biggest X-factors for 2019 season
3. EDGE Justin Houston
In his career, Justin Houston has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. His unique combination of size, speed and power have made him borderline unblockable at times. During the 2014 season, Houston racked up 22 sacks, which is tied for second all-time for a single season.
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Let that sink in for a second; in 16 regular season games, Houston averaged 1.4 sacks per game. Opposing quarterbacks knew he was getting there at least once. Can he do that for the Colts?
Last season’s sack leader for the Colts was Denico Autry with 9.0. That’s not a bad number, but the Colts haven’t had a legitimate force off the edge like Houston since 2013 when Robert Mathis rang up 17.5 sacks. Houston may not be in his prime anymore, but the Colts are counting on him to provide a pass-rushing boost to a team that finished just 19th in sacks last year. Most of those came as a result of a sum of their parts approach, but they need a larger individual contribution.
Houston graded out, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), as the 14th edge defender in the NFL last season. He was 22 spots better than the next best Colts pass rusher. That level of production is what they’ll be hoping to get this year.
His pass rush threat will make life easier on the other edge rushers along with the cornerbacks and defensive backs behind him. If he’s not able to do that, they’ll have to generate scheme sacks again which doesn’t always work.