The Colts left Arrowhead with a 0-2 record, and the number that hangs over the whole night is a brutal one: 1000 yards allowed to two quarterbacks they’re likely to see again in the playoffs. That’s the kind of defensive start that puts a season on edge fast.
Still, there was at least one real bright spot. The offense answered after the Baltimore loss and put 30 points on the board in primetime against one of the league’s toughest settings. That doesn’t erase the defeat, but it matters.
Daniel Jones was at the center of it. Outside of a costly interception, he played a strong game.
Kansas City kept disguising coverage and rotating safeties, showing a version of 2-man and rolling toward Alec Pierce. In that coverage, corners sit with heavy inside leverage, daring routes to win outside.
On the key third-down work, the Colts leaned on simple concepts like Tosser - two slants, or double slants - to beat Spagnuolo’s pressure looks. It’s basic on paper and miserable to stop when protection gets shaky.
Jones had free runners showing up in the throwing lanes all night and still got the ball out and completed throws when it mattered.
His best moment may have come in overtime, when he uncorked a deep post to Laquon Treadwell and flipped the field. Some have called it underthrown, and it did come up a bit short, but it was still a strong throw because it kept the defensive back from having a real play on it.
The finish, though, was messy. The run call at the end of the game wasn’t one the writer liked, even if the look was there.
On 4th&8, kicking the field goal wasn’t a decision he hated, either. If the Colts didn’t get the look they wanted, forcing it didn’t make sense.
With that down and distance, expecting Treadwell or Keenan Allen to win outside felt unrealistic. And with the defense struggling the way it was, going for it would have been a loud message to the whole unit that there was no faith left.
That kind of move, the piece argues, wouldn’t help them recover.
Kansas City also made them pay on defense. The Colts got to a Non Traditional Tampa look from a mugged-up alignment, but a post route from Thorton was wide open and should never have been there.
Cam Taylor-Britt didn’t get to his zone on the other side, and that busted coverage turned into a huge gain. Carlies at least forced Mahomes to throw the ball over the top instead of letting Thorton stroll in untouched.
There was another ugly snap in Drop 8 against Empty, where nobody was aligned properly and nobody had outside leverage on Walker. That became an easy pitch-and-catch and set up a touchdown. There’s no way around it: that was bad defense.
The larger concern is obvious. The offense did enough to give the Colts a chance.
The defense didn’t. The team still has time to save the season, but the margin is shrinking, and the defense has to be fixed immediately.
Shane Steichen, according to the film view, coached well for most of the night. The final sequence is the exception. Without Alec Pierce, the offense is going to have a harder time matching blow-for-blow with Mahomes and Walker, especially when the defense is bleeding like this.
The run game may also need a new layer of creativity, because teams are going to sell out against it until Indianapolis proves it can punish them for doing so. And on defense, the standard has to rise fast.
The Colts can’t have another night like this. The pressure is on, and it’s on hard.
In Other News...
Colts Injury Report Brings Relief With One Big Texans Concern Still Looming
The Colts got a little clarity on the injury front this week as they and the Texans worked through practice ahead of Sundays matchup. Indianapolis still has its own health questions, with several players showing up as limited or not practicing, including wide receivers Ashton Dulin and Alec Pierce, and Pierce is expected to land on injured reserve.
Houston, though, has its own issue that could matter just as much for the game plan. The Texans report included key names such as tackle Trent Brown and receiver Nico Collins, with both listed among the players dealing with injuries, and that leaves one of the bigger concerns in the matchup still hanging over the week. [Read more 🡒]
Colts May Get A Huge Defensive Boost For Must Win Texans Test
The Colts are getting some encouraging signs on the defensive side as they prepare for a Week 3 showdown with the Texans. Cornerback Charvarius Ward, who has been dealing with a groin injury, is trending toward being available for the matchup, a development that would matter plenty for an Indianapolis secondary facing a pivotal early-season test.
Wards status is still the main item to watch, especially with his recent concussion history from last season lingering in the background. Indianapolis has already ruled out wide receiver Ashton Dulin for the game, so any boost from Ward would help balance out what the Colts can bring to a must-win division battle in Houston. [Read more 🡒]
Sauce Gardners Colts Start Has Brought More Heat Than Answers
Sauce Gardner arrived in Indianapolis with the sort of rsum that usually comes with instant credibility, and he has tried to bring that same edge to the Colts secondary. A two-time first-team All-Pro and the 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Gardner has already stepped into a leadership role since the trade from the Jets, even as the broader results have been uneven and the team has dropped to 1-3 with him in the building.
Justin Walley has been asked to fill in at nickel corner in Gardners absence, and the rookie has been getting thrown into the kind of reps that can speed up development whether the day goes cleanly or not. It has been a useful stretch for the Colts to see what they have behind their headline addition, but it also underscores the larger question hanging over the move: when Gardner is on the field, how quickly can this start turn from intrigue into the kind of impact Indianapolis expected? [Read more 🡒]