Last Thursday night’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos was ugly. The teams combined for four total interceptions, ten sacks, six fumbles, seven field goals, and zero touchdowns. Two teams that many considered to be dark horse contenders looked more like teams that will be picking at the top of next year’s draft, but the Colts were able to squeak out a 12-9 victory in overtime to improve to 2-2-1 on the year.
Despite the win, the Colts showcased many of the the same flaws that have plagued them all year. However, if the Colts are able to improve in a few key areas and build on this win, they will be well poised to take control of the AFC South.
Indianapolis Colts: What went right?
Let’s state the obvious first. The Colts defense is spectacular and Stephon Gilmore is still elite. Through five games, the Colts defense has not allowed more than 24 points in a game and has yet to allow a single point in the fourth quarter of games. Chris Ballard has done an excellent job pairing young talent with elite veterans on the defensive side of the ball allowing the Colts to stay in games despite a lackluster offense.
The Colts defense through 5 weeks:
– 6th in total yards (326.2)
– 4th in rushing yards (96.6)
– 3rd in YPC allowed (3.4)
– 10th in points (18.8)
– T-7th in 3rd down % (31.3)— Ʊ Bring The Juice Ʊ (@BTJPod) October 10, 2022
PFF ranks Gilmore fifth among cornerbacks with an overall grade of 82.5 and he has made key plays to secure both of the Colts wins this year. Pair this with an elite run defense led by DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, and the Colts have the making of a Super Bowl caliber defense.
Offensively, it’s hard to find much that went right for the Colts on Thursday, but Alec Pierce is quickly developing into one of Matt Ryan’s most reliable targets. Pierce finished the game with 8 catches for 81 yards including three clutch catches on the final drive of regulation to set up the game tying field goal.
The Colts were also able to run the ball somewhat effectively despite Jonathan Taylor missing the game due to an ankle injury and Nyheim Hines being ruled out in concussion protocol on the second play of the game. Deon Jackson finished with 62 yards on 13 carries and Phillip Lindsay finished with 40 yards on 11 carries. The run game has been the focal point of the Colts offense since Frank Reich took over as head coach in 2018 and the Colts will need to build on this performance if they plan to have continued success.
After the early season struggles at the kicker position, the Colts also have to pleased with the performance of Chase McLaughlin. McLaughlin was able to convert on all four of his kicks, two of which were beyond 50 yards, and sent the go ahead kick through the uprights in overtime. The Colts will need to see this level of consistency from McLaughlin going forward, especially with the struggles they are having on offense.
Indianapolis Colts: What went wrong?
Despite the win, the Colts have major flaws. Their offensive line has been abysmal in every aspect. PFF has the Colts line ranked 27th in pass blocking efficiency and 24th in run blocking efficiency. Matt Ryan is tied for the league lead having been sacked 21 times and Colts running backs are averaging just 3.6 yards a carry. This is simply not level of play you would expect from the highest paid offensive line in the NFL and certainly does not match the brand of power football the Indianapolis Colts have aimed to develop during the Chris Ballard era.
Why Does Matt Ryan Have So Many Fumbles?
Answer:
Matt Pryor & The #Colts Offensive Line
🤦♂️
This Is Painfully Awful
— Peyton2Luck™️ (@Peyton2L) October 8, 2022
It isn’t hard to see that the Colts line is performing poorly this year and this is clearly affecting Matt Ryan’s play. Ryan is tied for the league lead in interceptions with seven and leads the league by a wide margin with 11 fumbles. Despite the line issues, the Colts desperately need Ryan to cut down on the turnovers. When the offense is struggling to score and move the ball, they simply cannot have these drive killing plays.
Ryan was brought to Indianapolis to bring a level of stability to the Colts quarterback position the team has not seen since Andrew Luck and to cut down on the poor decisions Carson Wentz made in key moments. The Colts will need to see this come to fruition if they have any plans of improving this year.
Indianapolis Colts: Building on the win
An ugly overtime win over the struggling Denver Broncos may not seem like much and it may seem that the sky is falling and the Indianapolis Colts are destined for another mediocre season, but truthfully, they are in a good position. The win on Thursday coupled with Jacksonville’s loss to Houston puts the Colts in second place in the division and just a half game back of the Tennessee Titans. The Colts match up against Jacksonville at home this Sunday and then travel to Tennessee the following week. If they can pick up wins in each of these games they will be in the driver’s seat of the division going forward.
But what do the Colts need to do to build on this win? How can they flip the script on offense and develop a winning formula? The first step is fixing the offensive line. Over the last 4 seasons, when you think Indianapolis Colts football you think elite offensive line play and “Run the damn ball.” Chris Ballard has made major investments into the line and expects a high level of play week in a week out. This season, they have shown anything but.
If the Colts plan to return to their old ways of dominating up front, Matt Pryor is simply not the solution at the tackle position. Pryor ranks 67th among qualified tackles per PFF and has allowed a league leading five sacks through five games. He is consistently beat by speed rushers and has not been able to hold up on the exterior of the offensive line.
Colts RT (last night) Matt Pryor allowed 9 QB pressures last night, most of any player in any game this season
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) October 7, 2022
The Colts tried to adjust the line on Thursday starting rookie Bernhard Raimann at left tackle and shifting Matt Pryor to right tackle and Braden Smith to right guard to no avail. Matt Ryan was sacked six times and the Broncos pressured Ryan on 20 of 48 pass blocking snaps. Raimann struggled but the rookie needs to be the starting left tackle going forward. If the Indianapolis Colts coaching staff and front office insist that Pryor should be starting on this line, he needs to be moved to right guard to allow Braden Smith to return to his natural right tackle position.
If the Colts can get this line to a point where it is even just serviceable (and the talent is certainly there) then this offense should be able to find a grove. This will allow Jonathan Taylor to shine like he did last year and open up the passing game for Matt Ryan.
The Colts will also need to see major improvement from Matt Ryan going forward. Many of Ryan’s mistakes can be directly correlated to poor offensive line play but he still needs to do a better job of taking care of the ball. This offense is never going to light up the scoreboard the same way as the Chiefs, Bills, or Chargers. It’s simply not their brand of football. The Colts need to rely on offensive efficiency and Ryan needs to reduce the turnovers that have killed many of their promising drives. But, again, expect improved play from Ryan if the Colts can fix this line.
The Colts and Frank Reich in particular need to continue to get the new rookies involved in the offense as well. The offense can often become to focused on Jonathan Taylor and, to a slightly lesser extent, Michael Pittman Jr. The Colts have the talent to spread the ball around and get a number of different parties involved. Taylor and Pittman Jr. should certainly be the focus, but they don’t need to be the whole offense.
Early returns on Alec Pierce indicate the Colts found an absolute stud and he will certainly see more playing time going forward, but the Colts also need to incorporate Jelani Woods. Woods saw just one target and had zero catches on Thursday but the combination of his size and catching ability gives him the potential to produce into one of the leagues elite red zone targets. He needs to be more involved.
Put Jelani Woods in the game 🗣
— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) October 7, 2022
The saving grace for this squad has been their defense, and its only going to get better. Shaquille Leonard has struggled early with injuries but the Colts should expect him back relatively soon. Adding an All-Pro linebacker to an already elite defense is only going to make things better in Indy. This defense is gaining more and more confidence and is going to keep the Colts in a lot of games. The win over the Broncos showed the defense is talented enough to carry the team and win games. If the offense can overcome their struggles, this defense is good enough for the Colts to make a serious playoff push.
But ultimately, this team is only going to go as far as their line will take them. If they are unable to find a combination up front that can consistently protect Ryan and open holes for Taylor, then this offense will continue to struggle. The talent is there. It’s time for the veterans on the line to figure out a way to make this work. If they can return to the Indianapolis Colts brand of dominant offensive line play and ball control football, expect this team to make a run.
1 Comment
The Colts are definitely a team to watch down the stretch. I don’t think Ryan is washed and as Peirce and Woods develop, the offense should take off. Gotta protect Ryan.