The Indianapolis Colts are 0-2.
First and foremost, I’m not ready to write off the season just yet. But I also will do my best to avoid sugarcoating what we’ve seen so far.
For a team that is this desperate to get over the hump and sneak into the playoffs, it’s never encouraging when you give up 1000 yards to two QBs that you will certainly see in the playoffs. But what I think is quietly encouraging is that the offense had a bounce back game and put up 30 points in one of the most vaunted stages in the sport:
Primetime in Arrowhead.
Let’s start with Daniel Jones because I thought outside of a brutal INT, he was tremendous.
The Chiefs do a great job of rotating safeties here to disguise a version of 2-man. Ring is a coverage in the Vic Fangio system that is a way to roll coverage to a dangerous receiver while playing 2 man. Essentially it’s man coverage across the board, but with a Cover 6 shell on top of it. You can see them roll their coverage toward Alec Pierce.
In 2-man, corners are going to play with heavy inside leverage, because that’s where the big play is waiting to happen. The corner here isn’t trying to disguise anything. Keenan is running an in-breaking route vs. heavy inside leverage. That route is dead unless you’re prime Davante Adams.
The Colts got to Tosser (two slants or double slants) to beat a lot of Spags third down pressure looks. It’s as simple as it gets on a chalkboard, but very difficult to execute. The golden rule of pass protection is to never let any free runners through the A and B gaps— and Spags gets it done all the time.
Daniel Jones had to throw around free runners in the throwing window all night and he did it. The ball placement isn’t going to be perfect, but completing it all that matters on third down.
This was the play I was most impressed with. When the Colts got the ball in OT, Jones uncorked a big post route to Laquon Treadwell and completely flipped the field. A lot of people have said this ball is underthrown, and while I will concede that it is, only slightly. It’s a great ball that doesn’t give the DB a chance to make a play on it.
I want to get to the defense but it’s only right that I talk about the end of the game here. I did not like the decision to run the ball at the end of the game, but the look is absolutely there.
As for the 4th&8? I don’t hate the decision to kick it, though maybe I’m on an island on that. If they didn’t get the look they wanted, then why do it? I think it’s pretty delusional to assume that Treadwell or Keenan Allen were going to win a matchup on the outside with that down and distance. So would you rather lose the game there, or kick the FG and see what happens. I know it’s Mahomes. I know the defense was playing terrible. But if you go for it on 4th&8 you’re basically telling everyone on your defense you have zero faith in them. How is that supposed to help them ever turn this thing around? It never will.
The Colts get to a Non Traditional Tampa from a mugged up alignment. This post route from Thorton should never be available. Never! But since Cam Taylor-Britt did not get to his zone on the other half, it’s a massive play. If anything Thorton could have walked right in if it wasn’t for Carlies forcing Mahomes to layer this throw over the top.
The Colts are in Drop 8 coverage here vs. Empty. But nobody is aligned properly because nobody is outside leveraged on Walker. It’s an easy pitch and catch to setup a touchdown. This is bad defense!
BOTTOM LINE
The Colts still have time to turn their season around, but they are running out of time to fix their defense. The offense did their part after being punched in the mouth vs. Baltimore. The defense did not. 1000 yards in two weeks is simply unacceptable.
My biggest takeaway is that Shane Steichen coached his ass off, until the final sequence. Without Alec Pierce it’s very difficult to go blow-for-blow with Mahomes and Walker (especially when your defense is playing that poorly).
But how many games, and really seasons, in the NFL can you coach where you get outplayed in the 4th quarter?
We’ll see how the loss of Pierce ultimately affects this offense long term, but I do think the Colts are going to have to be more creative in the run game. Teams should rightfully sell out vs. the run, and until the Colts punish them for doing that, it’s going to be tough sledding.
Defensively, the pressure has to be at an all-time high. Under no circumstances can the Colts defense look that bad again. There’s never perfect comparison in the NFL, but in 2024 the Gus Bradley defense had a very rough start to the season, but even they eventually settled in during Week 3. I don’t think you can justify having an $100M secondary and look even worse than the defense that you eventually decided you had to replace.
