The Colts’ pass rush has become a glaring issue, and the latest numbers make that impossible to ignore.
Through eight games, Indianapolis owns a quarterback pressure rate of just 26.5%, according to NFL Researcher on X, citing Next Gen Stats. That puts the Colts 32nd out of 32 teams. The gap is sizable, too: the New Orleans Saints sit 31st at 31.4%, nearly five percentage points ahead of Indianapolis.
At the top of the league, the Minnesota Vikings are setting the pace at 45.8%, with the New York Jets right behind at 41.3% and the Los Angeles Rams at 41.0%.
For a Colts team that enters Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys at 2-6, the lack of pressure has been one of the clearest defensive problems. The edge rusher group, in particular, has not produced enough disruption.
There has been one bright spot on the defensive front, though. Per the Colts’ official website, defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore leads all NFL defensive tackles in pressure rate at 16.1% and pass rush win rate at 17%.
Adebawore, 25, has also put up four sacks and eight quarterback hits through eight games. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, he was rewarded with a two-year contract extension.
Indianapolis also recently sent veteran defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers, which leaves Adebawore with even more on his plate up front.
With Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense next on the schedule, the Colts will need a much stronger effort to slow Dallas through the air.
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Colts Still Have A Sauce Gardner Debate Fans Cant Ignore
Sauce Gardner has given the Colts what they hoped for when they swung the deal, giving the secondary a proven cornerback who can still tilt a game on the outside. The move was bold from the start, the kind of front-office gamble that invites instant comparison to other recent defensive trades around the league, especially when a team is trying to accelerate its timeline instead of waiting for a homegrown solution.
The debate now is less about whether Gardner can play and more about what Indianapolis gave up to get him, especially with the trade being viewed through the lens of what has happened since. Even with Gardner performing well, the broader verdict has grown harsher because the Colts have had to live with the cost while also navigating the injuries and setbacks that followed, which is why this one still lingers as a front-office decision fans cannot quite let go. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Still Waiting On Two Crucial Calls Before Colts Game
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Colts Fans Are Losing Faith As Jonathan Taylor Debate Heats Up
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Jonathan Taylor now sits at the center of that debate, with the conversation around the star running back becoming a referendum on how long this rebuild might take. For a team trying to chart a path forward, the question is no longer just what Taylor means to the offense, but whether keeping him fits the timeline the Colts are really working on. [Read more 🡒]