Quenton Nelson, Darius Leonard Make NFL.com’s 'All-Analytics Team '

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If we’re talking about value, then we’ve certainly seen it out of Leonard. The league’s reigning tackle king and Defensive Rookie of the Year missed the Colts’ Week 5 matchup against the New England Patriots, and things did not go well for the Colts in a 38-24 loss. Leonard dealt with an ankle injury for much of the season, and in the rare occasion when he was not on the field, the lack of his presence was evident.


Among linebackers who played at least 50 percent of their team’s snaps, Leonard was one of only 29 players to miss nine or fewer tackles, according to PFF. Considering he led the league in tackles and was third with 56 stops — which PFF considers a tackle that constitute a "failure" for the offense — it’s even more impressive.


Leonard was out there doing things that have rarely ever been seen in the NFL, like being the first rookie since Luke Kuechly in 2012 to lead the NFL in tackles, or being only the second player to ever have at least 150 tackles and 7.0 sacks in a single season. Leonard has even done some things that have never been seen before, like being the only player to officially record a season with 160 tackles, 7.0 sacks and two interceptions (Pro-Football-Reference.com).


Value in the NFL can be watered down to simply how you help your team win games. An example is three huge, game-saving plays that Leonard had in 2018 that locked up wins for the Colts:

• Week 2 @ the Washington Redskins — With the Colts leading, 21-9, with 5:00 remaining in the game, the Redskins had 1st & 10 on the Colts’ 29-yard line and were looking to make it a one-score game. Leonard narrowly stripped the ball out of tight end Jordan Reed’s grasp, causing a fumble that was recovered by the Colts. Washington only got one more drive in the game and turned the ball over on downs. Leonard finished the game with 19 tackles (one for loss), 1.0 sack, one forced fumble, one pass breakup and one quarterback hit.
• Week 8 @ the Oakland Raiders — With the Colts leading, 35-28, with 5:17 remaining in the game, the Raiders had 1st & 10 on their own 25-yard line. Their offense was hot, scoring a touchdown on four of their last five true drives. Leonard showed a laser focus, punching the ball out of running back Doug Martin’s arm, with the fumble being recovered by the Colts. The Indy offense would then score the game-sealing touchdown on the ensuing drive, winning 42-28.
• Week 17 @ the Tennessee Titans — In the final game of the NFL’s regular season on Sunday Night Football, the winner would claim the last remaining playoff spot in the AFC while the loser’s season would end. With the Colts leading, 33-17, with 2:00 remaining in the game, the Titans had 2nd & 16 on their own 28-yard line. A touchdown and two-point conversion on the drive would make it a one-score game. Tennessee quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw a short pass down the left side, but Leonard jumped the route, intercepting the ball and returning it inside the Titans’ 10-yard line. The Colts would then drop knees in the victory formation three times and punch their ticket to the postseason.

Under new coordinator Matt Eberflus, the Colts’ defense underwent a surprisingly quick turn-around — going from the 30th-ranked unit in 2017 (367.1 YPG) to 11th in 2018 (339.4 YPG) — and you could consider Leonard the linchpin.


The defense was surprisingly dominant against the run at times, finishing as one of only three teams (Texans and New Orleans Saints) to not allow a 100-yard rusher in the regular season despite facing five of the league’s top 10 rushers.


The Colts tied the NFL record for tackles for loss within the first four games of a season (31) since at least 1994, and had a league-leading four players with at least 12 tackles for loss.


Eberflus’ unit also became the final team for the season to force a turnover in every game, lasting 13 games, and forcing at least one turnover in a league-most 15-of-16 regular season games.


The opponent scoring was among the best in the league also, finishing 10th with 21.5 point per game allowed. In Week 15, the Colts handed the Dallas Cowboys their first shutout since 2003, and in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, held the Texans to just seven points; their lowest total of the season and the only time they were held to single digits.