Just like the Tennessee Titans, the Indianapolis Colts are off to an ugly start to the season on offense, where the Colts are averaging the fewest points per game (13.0) in the NFL.
Indianapolis started off its season with a tie against the Houston Texans, followed by a shutout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
However, just like the Titans, the Colts nabbed their first win of the 2022 campaign with an upset victory, beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 20-17, giving Indy some momentum ahead of this divisional matchup.
In order to get more information about Indianapolis, we went behind enemy lines with Kevin Hickey of Colts Wire and asked him five questions. Here’s what he had to say.
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
Hickey: In short, no. But I would argue that Wentz would be just as erratic with this offensive line. Ryan is clearly a more suitable leader, and he’s certainly more accountable for the mistakes he’s made. However, it hasn’t translated to production or success yet. Until the Colts figure out the offensive line issues (more on that soon), it will be truly difficult to evaluate Ryan’s play and even more so when we try to compare it to Wentz.
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Hickey: Both the Colts and Leonard have been taking extreme caution as he works his way back from offseason back surgery. The final step is getting fully conditioned to play in games while getting his strength back. Apparently, there’s no worry of a setback, but the Colts have said the tape in practice hasn’t looked close to the tape Leonard has put on during games in the past. That’s the answer they’re giving us. Leonard doesn’t seem like the type to want to miss games, and he’s also dealt with this injury for almost two years now. But it has been an odd situation, nonetheless.
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Hickey: “Somewhat shaky” is a very generous way of putting it, but you’re a nice guy so I’d expect nothing less from you Mike! Really, though, the offensive line has been a disaster. It’s the highest-paid unit in the league, and they’re on pace to allow 68 sacks. Fortunately, most of the issues are fixable because it stems from communication. They simply can’t get on the same page or correctly ID a blitz. Their protection slides have been very suspect as well, and I blame that on communication. The other issues is that we don’t know where it’s coming from. Is it Matt Ryan failing to ID the blitz or is that Ryan Kelly’s job? The Colts haven’t given an answer. It also should be noted that the two new starters — LT Matt Pryor and RG Danny Pinter — have struggled to assimilate. It’s been quite the start for the league’s highest-paid offensive line.
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Hickey: On defense, it’s going to be defensive tackle Grover Stewart. Working from the one-technique, Stewart has developed into an elite run stopper. He’s the biggest reason why the Colts rank near the top in the majority of run defense categories. He’s incredibly strong but nimble at the same time. His impact becomes even greater considering the threat of Derrick Henry. On offense, the X-factor here will be rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce. He dropped both of his targets (including a would-be touchdown) in the Week 1 tie against the Texans and missed the Week 2 loss to the Jaguars due to a concussion. But he returned in Week 3 to catch three passes for 61 yards. It won’t be long until he jumps Parris Campbell for the WR2 role, and he can make his claim beginning with a strong day against the Titans.
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Hickey: I think this winds up being a relatively ugly game and one that will come down to the wire. The injury to DeForest Buckner could be enough for the Titans to grab a road win if he doesn’t play. As of this writing, though, there’s a chance he goes. Given the Colts’ ability to stop the run, I think they grab a home win by the skin of their teeth. But it truly could go either way. We’ll say Colts, 20-18.
