Colts' Matt Goncalves Proving His Starter Worth

Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor have dominated headlines to start the season for the Indianapolis Colts, but the team's offensive engine can't run without consistent excellence from guys like Matt Goncalves.

The second-year lineman out of the University of Pittsburgh made the move inside this past offseason, and it's paid dividends for the Colts' offensive success through three games.

Goncalves has allowed the fewest pressures of any guard in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (min. 100 snaps). His two pressures allowed tie the Tennessee Titans' 2023 11th overall pick, Peter Skoronski, and both of the Denver Broncos' guards, Ben Powers and Quinn Meinerz.

Powers and Meinerz both received contract extensions worth over eight figures annually, putting Goncalves in elite company.

Fewest pressures allowed among guards with at least 100 pass block snaps this season:

TEN - Peter Skoronski (2)
IND - Matt Goncalves (2)
DEN - Ben Powers (2)
DEN - Quinn Meinerz (2)
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) September 22, 2025

When Will Fries signed a nearly $88 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings this past March, one would figure a drop-off in production at the Colts' right guard position would be inevitable. Instead, Goncalves has stepped in and posted an 80.2 pass blocking grade, good for the fifth-best in the league among all guards who have played at least 100 snaps, per PFF.

The 24-year-old's pass blocking efficiency sits at a stellar 99.0 per PFF, having yet to allow a sack and only one quarterback hit on Jones. Despite not being a full-time starter last season, Goncalves accrued 566 offensive snaps in place of injured Colts Braden Smith and Will Fries.

While only notching an offensive grade of 65.9 in 2024, the team liked what they saw enough to give Goncalves a chance to fill the vacancy at right guard this past offseason.

It's so tough to do anything as a DT against a Matt Goncalves jump set pic.twitter.com/e9HIiN7E7C
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) September 15, 2025

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Compliments to both five-time All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson, as well as fellow sophomore starter Tanor Bortolini, can't be ignored, as Nelson grades as the sixth-best guard in football and Bortolini grades as the seventh-best center through three weeks of play, according to PFF.

Consistently great play along the offensive line has helped lead the Colts to their best start in sixteen years. Jones currently has the third most passing yards of all quarterbacks, and Taylor leads the entire league in total rushing.

The Colts have punted once in three games and haven't turned the ball over a single time, the first team to accomplish such a feat in over 85 years. Calling the unit a juggernaut still feels like an understatement.

Since punts were first tracked in 1939, only one NFL team has had zero turnovers and 1 or 0 punts over a three-game span:

The Colts’ first 3 games of 2025

That’s it. pic.twitter.com/iJnZ2szeKK
— Greg Harvey (@BetweenTheNums) September 22, 2025

The Colts have the tall task this week of stopping the Los Angeles Rams' pass rush, led by up-and-coming stars Jared Verse and Byron Young. Indy's offensive line has been as good as you can ask for thus far, handling Nik Bonitto and Jeffery Simmons in back-to-back weeks enough to win in the trenches in both games.

The team will soak in the feeling of being 3-0 for the first time in nearly two decades before turning its attention to the Rams on Sunday at 4:05 pm in Los Angeles.

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