Sunday’s 34-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t just drop the Colts to 2-3. It dragged a familiar set of problems right back into the open. Indianapolis had trouble defending the middle of the field, surrendered too many chunk plays to a Pittsburgh offense that didn’t need to do anything fancy, and never found enough explosive answers of its own to make the Steelers change course.
That’s the frustrating part for this team: the talent is there to hang around, but not enough to keep stacking wins. Outside of the hot start to 2025, the Colts have lived in that awkward middle ground for a long time now.
Since Chris Ballard took over as general manager in 2017, they have won 47% of their games. Good enough to stay relevant, not good enough to be comfortable.
Week 6 offers a home game against the winless Tennessee Titans, which gives Shane Steichen and company a real shot to get back to .500. But if these lingering issues stay untouched, there’s no automatic win waiting there. And beyond the broader team problems, there are a few core players who need to show up now.
Cam Bynum is one of them.
The season opened with a rough night for Bynum and the defense as a whole in Baltimore. He was asked to serve as the green dot defender, handling the communication from the sideline to the rest of the unit.
That role usually belongs to a linebacker, not a free safety, and the Ravens made the Colts pay for the confusion. Baltimore piled up more than 500 total yards and scored 41 points.
The green dot responsibility is gone now, but Bynum still hasn’t found his footing. His current Pro Football Focus grade is 58.4, down more than a dozen points from last season and sitting near the bottom of his career range.
The Colts keep giving up damaging explosive plays, including the two Jaylen Warren touchdowns that turned into 130 yards against Pittsburgh. Those are the kinds of snaps a veteran safety has to erase.
Young defensive backs like AJ Haulcy and Justin Walley may be inching toward respectability, but Bynum is the one who still disappears too often.
Bernhard Raimann also needs to be better, even if “bad” isn’t really the right word for his season. The issue is that he has not been the elite left tackle the Colts are used to getting.
Over the last three seasons, Raimann has graded above 80 in Pro Football Focus terms, which puts him in top-tier NFL territory. Through five weeks this year, he is at 68.5.
That’s solid, but it’s not the kind of play Indianapolis has leaned on from him before.
That drop has come alongside lesser grades for Jalen Travis and center Tanor Bortolini, and the ripple effect is showing up everywhere. Jonathan Taylor is averaging 3.9 yards per carry, which is below his usual standard and well off last season’s 4.9. Daniel Jones doesn’t look as comfortable as he did a year ago, and the offense that is built so heavily around the line is losing its rhythm when key blockers, Raimann included, aren’t playing at their highest level.
Then there’s Steichen, who has to do more with what he has.
Alec Pierce is out, Jones is still shaking off rust from last year’s Achilles injury, and the line hasn’t been at its best. Those are real personnel issues.
But that’s exactly why offensive coaches are paid to solve problems, not just list them. Steichen hasn’t found the answers yet this season.
The Colts still have Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren, Josh Downs and enough line talent to function. What they haven’t done is manufacture enough creativity.
The repeated short-yardage plunge into Taylor isn’t producing much. The deep shots to Laquon Treadwell, and almost nobody else, only go so far.
The offense has been too easy to diagnose.
Pierce has missed all or part of four games, and the consequences show up in the numbers. Indianapolis is averaging more than 50 fewer yards per game and more than a full yard less per play. The rushing touchdown rate is still close to last year’s pace, but the passing touchdown number is almost a full score down.
There are possible fixes, at least on paper. Darius Salyton may finally make his debut.
Anthony Gould, who hasn’t done much as a receiver in his career, could be part of the answer, especially after looking better in the return game lately. Davon Booth, a practice squad running back who was a good pass catcher in college, is another name worth considering.
However it comes together, Steichen needs a spark. The defense is still a work in progress, and this team can’t afford to pair that with a plain-vanilla offense.
In Other News...
Colts Suddenly Have A Tyler Warren Concern Before Week 6
The Colts entered the weekend with a familiar kind of late-week uncertainty, and it landed on one of their most important young playmakers. Tyler Warren was added to the injury report Friday after getting hurt in practice, turning what had been a normal build toward Week 6 into a sudden concern for Indianapolis as it prepares for the next step in its schedule.
Warren is listed as questionable, which leaves the Colts waiting to see how much they can count on the tight end before kickoff. For a team trying to keep momentum, any late addition to the report is worth watching, especially when it involves a player who has quickly become a central part of the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Colts' Defensive Overhaul Is Creating A Problem Fans Feared
Chris Ballard spent the offseason trying to remake the Colts defense into something younger and faster, but the first month-plus of the season has brought an uncomfortable tradeoff. Through five games, Indianapolis has not gotten the payoff it was chasing, and the run defense has been a particular problem as opponents have found more room on the ground than they did a year ago.
Some of that comes with the territory when a roster leans harder on developing players, and the Colts are still sorting out how the new pieces fit together in real games. The concern for fans is less about the concept of the overhaul and more about whether the current personnel is sturdy enough to hold up against the run while the younger players continue to grow into larger roles. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Faces A Frustrating Test Colts Fans Can't Ignore
Jonathan Taylors start has been quieter than Colts fans are used to, with the running back averaging 3.9 yards per carry and ranking 23rd in breakaway rate, according to PFF. The bigger concern is how that production has fit into an offense still searching for rhythm through the air, because when the passing game is sputtering, defenses can focus more attention on Taylor and make every carry feel harder than it should.
The next test comes against Tennessee, and it shapes up as a tough measuring stick for the ground game. The Titans have been stingy against the run this season, allowing just 3.5 yards per rush, and the matchup puts even more pressure on Indianapolis to find cleaner lanes and better balance if it wants Taylor to get back on track. [Read more 🡒]