The Colts came out of Week 1 with a problem they didn’t see coming: their run defense got pushed around. Lamar Jackson made life messy when he escaped the pocket, Derrick Henry carved up the front, and Indianapolis ended up on the wrong side of a historic day when Henry passed Marcus Allen for the third-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. Henry finished with 144 rushing yards on 24 carries, a 6.0 yards-per-carry average, and three touchdowns.
That’s the backdrop for Sunday Night Football, where Kenneth Walker III and the Kansas City Chiefs are waiting. And for Lou Anarumo’s defense, it’s a chance to answer back in a big way after a rough opener.
What made Week 1 sting so much was how far it strayed from what the Colts were last season. Indianapolis allowed the second-fewest yards per attempt in 2025 at 3.9 and gave up the seventh-fewest total rushing yards, 1,732.
But against Baltimore, the Ravens averaged 5.5 yards per carry, a number that looked out of character for a defense that’s usually steadier against the run than it is in coverage. DeForest Buckner may still need time to get his legs back, too.
Now the challenge gets even trickier. Walker just delivered a monster season opener, setting the mark for the most yards in a season opener by a reigning Super Bowl MVP with 173 yards on 23 carries, good for 7.5 yards per attempt. He also scored twice, including once as a receiver, and ripped off a 60-yard gain.
Anarumo has seen Walker before and had success in that matchup. Back in Week 6 of the 2023 season, while coaching the Cincinnati Bengals, he limited Walker to 62 yards on 19 carries, or 3.3 yards per rush, in a 17-13 win.
The Colts can lean on that blueprint, even if the personnel around the matchup has changed. Walker isn’t Henry; he’s not built to simply batter defenses into submission.
His game is about burst, patience, and making defenders miss with that quick first step and twitchy change of direction. If Indianapolis sets the edge well and Buckner looks like himself, Walker should have a much tougher night finding room.
That’s the assignment now: prove the opener was a blip, not a trend. Walker has looked like one of the hottest players in football over his last two games dating back to Super Bowl LX, and the Colts need to show they still have the kind of run defense that defined them last season.
If they don’t, the pressure on Anarumo only grows. And with Patrick Mahomes having trouble connecting with his receivers in Week 1, Indianapolis has a clear priority: make sure the Chiefs’ biggest offseason addition doesn’t take over the game on the ground.
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Linebackers coach James Bettcher has had a front-row seat to the early growing pains, and each of the three rookies is dealing with a different part of the transition. Boettcher and Carlies are getting their first taste of the leagues weekly demands, while Allen has yet to see defensive snaps as the Colts bring him along carefully. For a defense trying to stay steady now and get better later, it is an early reminder that the youth movement at linebacker may take some time to fully settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Fans Already Have A CJ Allen Question Ballard Didn't Expect
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Now the conversation shifts quickly to what comes next. Akeem Davis-Gaither is expected to handle the green dot duties in Week 2, and the linebacker rotation appears headed toward more work for Bryce Boettcher and Jaylon Carlies as well. For a player Ballard seemed to have pegged for an important early job, Allen's first month is already starting with more questions than anyone around the Colts likely expected. [Read more 🡒]