The Colts need a jolt in Week 3, and it may have to come from the names nobody’s circling first.
Indianapolis is still stuck in its slump, and Shane Steichen is reaching the point where the pressure starts to get real. This is the kind of week that forces a coach to get inventive, because the Colts need a win badly and they’re running into a Houston Texans team that’s also still chasing its first victory of the season. With the Texans focused on the obvious threats, Daniel Jones and the defense may need a few unexpected players to step into the spotlight.
One of those possibilities is Seth McGowan. The rookie running back has barely registered through two games, and in Week 2 he logged two carries for zero yards.
Still, the matchup could nudge him into a larger role. Houston’s defense plays with a nasty edge, and with Jonathan Taylor likely to absorb the toughest hits, McGowan could be the kind of battering ram the Colts lean on to keep Taylor from taking too much punishment.
He’s built to handle contact, and if he can help grind out tough yards, it could also loosen things up for the passing game.
Justin Walley is another name worth watching, even if the first two weeks have been rough. He arrived with plenty of buzz out of training camp, but so far he’s looked like the secondary’s biggest problem.
That said, this matchup gives him a chance to settle in. Dalton Schultz and Jaylin Noel aren’t exactly the sort of receivers who live off explosive plays, and Walley is still adjusting after missing a long stretch with injuries and moving into the slot after playing outside.
This could be a key moment for him, too, since it may be his last chance to prove he belongs as a starter before the Colts have to make a call.
Then there’s Keenan Allen, whose start in Indianapolis has been flat-out underwhelming. He has drawn more attention for what’s happened away from the field than for anything he’s done on it, and the numbers haven’t helped.
Through two games, Allen has seven catches on 11 targets for 37 yards, a meager 5.3 yards per reception. That has to change, and fast.
With Alec Pierce out for a while, Tyler Warren and Josh Downs are expected to handle most of the work, but Allen remains a major name in this offense. Against Darius Slayton, he’s at the point where he has to stop fading into the background and start producing.
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For a Colts team that has not reached the postseason since 2020, finding answers up front matters almost as much as finding them anywhere else. Travis has looked solid in both pass protection and run blocking through two games this season, which is exactly the kind of early stability Indianapolis has been chasing at a spot opponents can attack. Houston is the kind of matchup that can expose any lingering weakness, so the Colts will be watching closely to see whether this early comfort on the right side holds up when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Defense Puts Lou Anarumo In A Tough Early Spotlight
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Still, the spotlight does not wait long in this league. If the Colts defense keeps looking shaky in those same areas, the conversation around Anarumo will turn from fit to urgency, with personnel usage and draft projections already part of the broader evaluation. For a team trying to turn additions into answers, the early weeks could say a lot about how much patience there really is for a slow start. [Read more 🡒]