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Mark Glowinski Gives Colts Much-Needed Boost in Run Game

Indianapolis Colts guard Mark Glowinski was a massive upgrade in the team's win over the New England Patriots.

Zach Hicks

Guard Mark Glowinski (64) has been with the Indianapolis Colts for the past 3 years and in the NFL for 6 seasons. He has started each of the past 2 seasons. Colts At Steelers
Guard Mark Glowinski (64) has been with the Indianapolis Colts for the past 3 years and in the NFL for 6 seasons. He has started each of the past 2 seasons. Colts At Steelers / Robert Scheer/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC
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The Indianapolis Colts' rushing attack finally found some life against the New England Patriots on Sunday, ending a disastrous stretch of games running the football. The reason for success this past weekend may have to do with the return of a veteran starter to the lineup.

The Colts' offensive line has been hampered by injuries as of late, with Quenton Nelson being the only starter from opening weekend yet to miss a game this season. Undrafted rookie Dalton Tucker (replacing starter Will Fries) was struggling mightily at right guard, so the team opted to make the move to veteran Mark Glowinski.

Glowinski is no stranger to Colts fans, as he started just about every game for the team at right guard from 2018 to 2021. The 32-year-old had been a free agent this season until the Colts scooped him up, so Sunday was his first bit of NFL action all season. Despite needing to shake off the rust a bit, Glowinski looked exactly like the player we all remember in Indianapolis.

The veteran guard solidified the Colts' offensive line on Sunday, and his strong play in the run game was a major reason for the Colts' resurgence on offense against the Patriots.

The Upgrade Indy Needed

The Colts' offensive line was dealt a major blow when Fries was knocked out for the season back in week 5. Fries was playing at a Pro Bowl level in the early part of the year, even ranking as the No. 2 in overall guard grades in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Tucker filled in admirably at first, but his play began to wane in recent weeks.

From Weeks 9-12, the Colts' rush offense ranked No. 30 in success rate and No. 26 in rush EPA and Tucker's struggles were a major part of that. This past week, with the move made at right guard and a more favorable match-up against the Patriots, the Colts ranked No. 3 in success rate and No. 4 in EPA on the ground.

The offense may have averaged just 4.2 yards per carry this past weekend, but the run game was actually operational and productive for the first time in nearly a month. Glowinski had a major hand in the Colts' success. Tucker ranked No. 64 out of 85 qualifying offensive linemen in run block grade forPFF from Weeks 9-12. Glowinski, in his first start this season, ranked No. 4 out of 36 offensive line starters league-wide with an elite grade of 87.5.

Glowinski has always had some issues in pass protection, but he is a major asset in the run game. His power combined with his elite athleticism allows him to excel in this area of his game and it showed up on his first run blocking snap of the season on Sunday:

The veteran savvy that Glowinski brings to the starting lineup was desperately needed to give this run game some life again. Tucker did as well as anyone could ask for out of an undrafted rookie, but Glowinski has simply seen it all in his time in the league.

He cuts off this play-side three technique with ease on the stretch run to give Jonathan Taylor a lane to hit. These types of plays are what the Colts were missing in recent weeks.

Overall, this Colts' offense could not function without a stable run game. Anthony Richardson was carrying too much weight of the offense in recent weeks, so it was nice to see some of the passing game dial back to allow for success on the ground in this one.

There is still another gear that this run game can hit, but Sunday was a massive step forward for the unit as a whole. The Colts needed a performance like this from the offensive line to build confidence for this crucial final month of the season.

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Zach Hicks
ZACH HICKS

Zach Hicks is the Lead Analyst for HorseshoeHuddle.com. Zach has been on the NFL beat since 2017. His works have appeared on SBNation.com, the Locked On Podcast Network, BleacherReport.com, MSN.com, & Yardbarker.com. 

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