Spencer Shrader is giving the Colts something they haven’t had to think twice about: automatic points. Through five weeks, Indianapolis’ kicker has been one of the most productive and accurate legs in the NFL, and he kept rolling Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That effort came in a 34-22 loss on the road that dropped the Colts to 2-3, but Shrader was the one steady thing in a messy afternoon. While almost nothing went right for Indianapolis, the field-goal operation did, and Shrader handled the rest.
He was perfect again in Pittsburgh, drilling five field goals on five attempts. Two of those came from long range, with makes from 57 and 56 yards, and his five conversions matched the Colts’ franchise record for field goals in a single game.
The numbers keep stacking up. Shrader is now 16-for-16 on field-goal tries this season, and he has already connected on six kicks from 50 yards or longer.
He also leads the NFL in total points with 58. By the raw production, he’s the league’s top kicker right now.
That still leaves the broader debate about where he sits in the kicker pecking order. Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys, Jason Myers of the Seattle Seahawks, Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs, Cameron Dicker of the Los Angeles Rams, and Cam Little of the Jacksonville Jaguars are all mentioned in the same elite conversation, even if Shrader’s early-season numbers have been cleaner than theirs.
For the Colts, though, the bigger point is simpler: the offseason decision to make Shrader the starter looks right. He won a position battle with Blake Grupe, and after five games, that choice is paying off.
It also says something about how Indianapolis has had to survive so far. The offense has been inconsistent and at times stalled out, especially through the passing game, which has forced the Colts to lean on Jonathan Taylor and Shrader just to stay in games. Taylor has delivered most weeks, though he was largely a non-factor against Pittsburgh.
Shrader has held up his end every time. If Indianapolis’ defense had found a way to slow Aaron Rodgers, Shrader might have been the reason the Colts left with a third win. Instead, he walked away as one of the few clear bright spots in a lopsided loss, and one of the team’s biggest weapons moving forward.
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Colts Face A Week 6 Reality They Cannot Ignore Against Titans
The Colts head into Week 6 with a clear set of concerns against Tennessee, and the numbers behind the matchup paint a fairly simple picture of what needs to go right. Over the past two seasons, recent history suggests Indianapolis usually puts itself in position when it can keep the Titans from getting loose offensively, while also doing enough through the air to avoid a grind-it-out slog that favors the other sideline.
Indianapolis will also need to be sharp with the football in a division game that rarely gives away extra chances. The Colts have seen enough of these matchups to know that a clean afternoon on offense and a modest passing output can be the difference between control and catching up, which is why this one feels less like a toss-up than a test of whether they can meet the basic standards that have shown up again and again in the recent data. [Read more 🡒]
Colts QB Showed Progress But One Problem Still Stalled The Offense
A deeper passing approach gave the Colts a little more to work with in Week 5, and there were signs of progress from their quarterback after the previous week. The protection held up well enough, and the offense avoided the kinds of mistakes that can bury a game early, but the passing game never found much rhythm or the explosive plays needed to tilt the field.
Even with the cleaner pocket and a better overall showing, the Colts still came away with the same familiar issue: too many missed throws and not enough production through the air. The offense stalled late, especially in the fourth quarter, and the quarterback remained below average in the areas that matter most for keeping drives alive and turning possessions into points. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Found Two Bright Spots In A Loss Fans Hated
After a Week 5 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that left plenty of Colts fans frustrated, Pro Football Focus still found a pair of bright spots worth noting. Left guard Quenton Nelson and return specialist Anthony Gould landed on PFFs NFL Team of the Week, a small silver lining on a day when the final result overshadowed much of the good.
Nelson graded out at 86.9, which was the best mark among left guards, a reminder that Indianapolis still had some high-level play in the trenches even in defeat. Gould gave the Colts a lift in the kicking game with two returns that averaged 40.5 yards, highlighted by a career-long 54-yard burst that offered one of the more explosive moments in an otherwise rough afternoon. [Read more 🡒]