Jonathan Taylor, Mo Alie-Cox Prove More Than Capable As New Starters

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Alie-Cox, meanwhile, was quickly able to turn a forgettable early moment into the biggest performance of his career on Sunday.


Trailing 3-0, the Colts were embarking on a methodical first offensive drive. On the 16th play, Indy faced 2nd and 8 from the Minnesota 11-yard line, and Rivers, lined up in the shotgun, fired a quick pass over the middle to Alie-Cox, but he wasn't able to hang on. The ball was batted into the air and picked off by Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson.


But Rivers didn't stop feeding his big tight end the rest of the afternoon. Alie-Cox finished with career single-game highs in receptions (five) and receiving yards (111), as he became the 12th tight end in franchise history to have a 100-yard receiving game, and the first since Eric Ebron had nine receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns against the New England Patriots on Oct. 4, 2018.


Alie-Cox said he's been following Doyle's lead since he was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent with virtually zero football experience back in 2017, and that certainly paid off for him on Sunday.


"I just try to follow Jack's lead every day," Alie-Cox said. "Up to this point, he's helped me a lot to be ready for a situation like this. He went down, and it was just next man up. Over the years, I've just gotten accustomed to following his lead, and now I got the opportunity today, and I just tried to make the most of it."


Reich believes Alie-Cox should take a little bit more credit.


"He works so hard," Reich said. "It's so important to him. He's physically and mentally tough, and he's just continued to get better. It was obvious this week with Jack down, with that being a big blow, Philip (Rivers) let us know right away – he let me and Nick (Sirianni) know right away how much confidence he has in Mo and not holding anything back.


"Philip likes throwing to those big targets," Reich continued. "He is used to doing it to receivers, but you could see how quickly he got used to Mo – just throwing to that big target. What else can you say? Mo is a big man and a great competitor. Hats off to him."


While Taylor will continue to lead the way at running back, Alie-Cox's role could fluctuate over the next couple weeks if and when Doyle is able to work his way back into the lineup. The team also has another talented veteran tight end, Trey Burton, on injured reserve with a calf injury, and he could return as soon as Week 4 against the Chicago Bears.


For his part, however, Alie-Cox just wants to stay consistent against the New York Jets (0-2), who come to Lucas Oil Stadium for their Week 3 matchup next Sunday.


"It's just one game, but I'm always confident," Alie-Cox said. "I'm always confident in myself, so once I heard the news that I was starting, it didn't really change my demeanor in any way. I just had to go at it as work as usual. It was great to go out there and have a great day, but at the end of the day, it's just one game. We know that we have higher goals that we want to achieve."