The Colts walked out of Sunday’s loss to the Ravens with a long list of problems, but the biggest alarm bell is impossible to miss: the defense was shredded from every angle, and it has to be the first thing fixed before Kansas City comes to town next Sunday night.
Baltimore piled up more than 500 total yards on Indianapolis, including over 300 through the air and more than 200 on the ground. That’s the kind of stat line that doesn’t just signal a bad day - it signals a unit that had no answers.
The Ravens had averaged 333 yards per game last year, and the Colts let them blow past that in one afternoon. The last time an Indianapolis defense got gashed for 500 yards came in Week 8 of 2023 in a loss to New Orleans.
And it wasn’t just one leak. The entire coverage structure broke down.
The middle of the field was wide open throughout the game, and the Colts’ linebackers were a major reason why. Akeem Davis-Gaither, Bryce Boettcher, and Jaylon Carlies all struggled in coverage, whether they were out of position or simply overmatched by Ravens pass catchers.
Boettcher is a rookie, and Davis-Gaither has never been known for his coverage, but Carlies was the real disappointment because that part of the game is supposed to be his calling card. If that doesn’t change soon, it gets harder to justify his spot on the roster.
There may be some help coming. Austin Ajiake or CJ Allen could be options next week.
At cornerback, Charvarius Ward drew concern as much as anyone. Justin Walley was picked on early and often by Zay Flowers, but Ward looked off too, especially on the deep ball to 33-year-old Chris Moore, who ran away from him on a long reception.
Walley had his problems, but Ward didn’t look like himself either. Cam Taylor-Britt returns in Week 2, and the Colts will need him to steady that group.
Tyler Warren never got going either, and that stood out because Indianapolis didn’t exactly have many bright spots in the passing game. Shane Steichen opened with 13 personnel, using three tight ends, but after Andrew Ogletree dropped a pass on the first play, that look seemed to disappear.
Warren stayed on the field, but he was barely a factor: five targets, three catches, 13 yards. The target total was fine, especially since it was only one fewer than Alec Pierce and Keenan Allen, but the Colts never seemed to unlock the kind of routes that should put Warren in space.
The seam work and deeper crossers never really showed up. That’s an obvious area for Steichen and pass game coordinator Alex Tanney to attack against Kansas City.
Special teams was its own mess.
Spencer Shrader missed the first extra point of the game, and things got worse almost immediately. His kickoff sent Chris Moore toward the sideline, where he turned the return into a 42-yarder and got Indianapolis out to around midfield with almost no resistance.
Kapena Gushiken, Laquon Treadwell, and Jaylahn Tuimoloau were all easily blocked on that side, leaving a lane wide open. Shrader ended up making the tackle.
By the end of the game, the Colts had given up more than 30 yards per kick return and 10 yards per punt return, both well above last year’s marks. Penalties piled up too. Even Ashton Dulin, one of the team’s better special teamers, lost contain on a LaJohntay Wester punt return late in the third quarter.
Brian Mason has plenty to sort out, and the fixes need to start with moving Gushiken off his edge role on coverage units. But it can’t stop there.
Even with Jonathan Taylor’s run game holding up fairly well, Indianapolis was overwhelmed in every major phase. When one team outscores the other by more than twice the yardage and owns the ball for 10 more minutes, that’s not a small cleanup job. Steichen has to start with the biggest failures first, and right now the defense sits at the top of the list.
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Colts Now Face A Keenan Allen Problem The NFL Could Escalate
Keenan Allens off-field situation now sits squarely in the Colts lap after the veteran receiver was charged with two misdemeanor counts tied to operating a vehicle while intoxicated following his arrest in downtown Indianapolis. Police said they observed signs of intoxication, and Allens breathalyzer test reportedly showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.224, turning a local legal matter into a much larger football concern for a team trying to keep its focus on the field.
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Cam Bynum ended up with that responsibility in the opener, while Akeem Davis-Gaither is expected to take over in Week 2. For a second-round pick drafted to be part of the solution, Allens early role looks a lot different than many around the team anticipated, and the more playing time going to linebackers like Bryce Boettcher and Jaylon Carlies only adds to the question of how quickly Indianapolis sees Allen fitting into the plan. [Read more 🡒]
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Alec Pierce popped back onto the Colts injury report Thursday after opening the week with a full practice, this time sitting out because of a heel issue tied to a previous injury. For a team getting ready to face the Chiefs, it is at least worth watching, especially since Pierce has been part of the offensive plan and the Colts had already seen Anthony Richardson miss Wednesday before returning to full work Thursday.
The good news for Indianapolis is that Pierce is still expected to be used fully in the matchup, with the official injury designations coming Friday. Richardson, meanwhile, is trending toward serving as the backup after his groin issue limited him briefly earlier in the week, leaving the Colts with one more small health concern to monitor before a game that will demand as much stability as they can find. [Read more 🡒]