Why Colts' Alec Pierce Should Be a Bigger Part of the Offense

The Indianapolis Colts have had success using rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce downfield. So, why don't they do it more often?

Keeping a defense “honest” is a tried and true formula for winning against tough opposition.

One way to do this, especially if you are a run-first offense, is to take deep shots of 20 or more yards through the air, stretching the secondary and thus, opening up the ground game. Sounds simple, right? Well, the Indianapolis Colts made this happen with their rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce en route to him leading the team in receiving yards (86) against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, hauling in 4 catches, including a touchdown.

Alec Pierce +6. #ProBowlVote

📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/9EMfQgPBIT

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 5, 2022

This was about the only positive to mention from the game, as the Cowboys thoroughly dominated the fourth quarter (33 points) to vanquish the Colts, 54-19. Regardless of whether it was the fault of the offensive line and Jonathan Taylor allowing pressure with poor blocking, offensive coordinator Parks Frazier’s play calling, or quarterback Matt Ryan’s inability to make the throws under pressure, one thing is for sure; throwing to Pierce was about the only thing that worked for the Colts’ offense and it simply needs to happen more to finish the remaining four-game stretch.

The Colts showed no signs of life offensively after scoring 10 points in the first quarter. This was even more evident through the air, as Parris Campbell (43 yards), Taylor (21 yards), and Kylen Granson (19 yards) all had 3 or more catches on the evening. However, Pierce stole the show, averaging 21.5 yards per catch, including an impressive 45-yard connection where Pierce snagged a 50/50 ball down the right sideline from Ryan.

It was baffling to see the Colts not return to this game plan to try to relax the Cowboys' pass-rush combination of Micah Parsons and Dan Quinn’s blitz-heavy approach. Even Ashton Dulin scored the other touchdown from Ryan on a deeper route in the red zone. Once this was abandoned, it allowed Dallas to swarm Ryan and even helped cause Michael Pittman Jr. to underwhelm with just 2 catches on 4 targets for a meager 16 yards. It was truly Pierce who was the only receiving threat against the top-ranked Cowboys pass defense, and he shined.

This season, Pierce is the Colts' primary downfield threat and it shows with his team-leading 15.9 yards per catch. He is also second in receiving yards behind only Pittman, with 510 on 32 catches. Pierce is a bit behind on his receiving grades, per Pro Football Focus, ranking seventh out of 10 Colts players in overall receiving grade (59.7), and has a catch percentage of 53.3% (32 receptions on 60 targets). So, there is room for the rookie to improve.

It is worth mentioning that he has been targeted primarily downfield but tends to make the play, which is very promising for the Colts to see from him at this early juncture.

It’s 100% crystal clear that the Colts have fallen far short of any expectations, and that the remaining four games will be very interesting to watch.

Who will be the starting quarterback? Will the defense continue its porous results like they did against the Cowboys? Is Frazier the right play caller for the future?

There are so many questions but only one thing is for certain: Pierce is a playmaker, and he showed it despite an abysmal performance from the rest of the team on Sunday night.

Will the rookie continue to get shots downfield from whoever is under center? That is ultimately up to Frazier and interim head coach Jeff Saturday to decide.

All that Colts fans can do is hope.

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