Colts’ Offense Hits Rock Bottom in Loss vs. Patriots
It was a sunny October afternoon in 2017 when Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard made a promise to himself.
In his first year as GM, he had just watched his team get shut out by the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-0. His quarterback Jacoby Brissett was sacked ten times that afternoon, the most since the Colts moved to Indianapolis. Ballard would later say it was at that moment he vowed the Colts would never get bullied up front like that again.
Fast forward to 2022, and we are right back where we started. The Colts’ offensive line is just as bad as it was in 2017, giving up nine sacks on the way to a 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots. The Colts have now allowed 35 sacks in 2022, the most in the NFL through nine games.
“It was as bad as I can ever remember,” said Ryan Kelly, a member of both the 2017 and 2022 teams.
The Colts’ offense hit rock bottom on Sunday against the Patriots. A measly 121 yards were gained all day, an average of just 2.0 yards per play. The Colts were an abysmal 0-14 on third down, the second-worst mark for a game in NFL history. It is hard to be any worse than that.
“The offensive performance, that's why I was brought here,” a dejected Frank Reich said after the game. “That's my responsibility. So, we got the players. We've got the players that are plenty good enough. I have to do a better job. It starts with me on offense. I need to do a better job getting the guys ready to play, putting guys in a good position to win and having answers when we face problems.”
As Reich stood at the podium, he looked like a man who had run out of answers. The Colts have thrown the kitchen sink at the offense in an attempt to find something, anything, that might lead to success. The list of changes seems to be growing by the week.
There have been six different combinations on the offensive line, yet the results are getting worse. The Colts benched veteran Matt Ryan for the unproven Sam Ehlinger at quarterback in an attempt to spark the offense, and instead, it has created friction in the locker room. Offensive coordinator Marcus Brady was fired earlier this week. Nyheim Hines was traded to the Buffalo Bills.
© Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Three points. 2.0 yards per play. 0-14 on third down.
“That’s an offense that’s unacceptable,” Ehlinger lamented.
The second-year quarterback faced an immense challenge against Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Coming into the matchup, the Patriots were 42-4 against first and second-year quarterbacks at Gillette Stadium since 2003. Belichick makes it difficult for young quarterbacks with multiple looks and disguises on defense.
Ehlinger was running for his life all afternoon, and when he did have time, it was not very pretty either. Ehlinger finished 15-of-29 (52%) for 103 yards and an interception. Whether it was the sacks, overthrows, or missed reads, it was a struggle all afternoon for Ehlinger.
“Everybody's going to look at the nine sacks and think, “Oh, that's on the offensive line.” And it’s on everybody,” Ehlinger admitted. “You know, route disciplines, route spacing. For me, getting the ball out on time, taking checkdowns when they're there, not holding on too long. I thought, you know, there were a handful of them that were on me. And it sucks because they're going to take the heat for that. But, you know, it's on everybody as an offense.”
“We have to protect better,” Quenton Nelson said. “We need to perform better offensively. I mean, going from week to week hearing the defensive players saying they have our backs. They’ve been holding teams to field goals and getting turnovers but we haven’t helped them. We have to figure it out offensively.”
What makes things worse for this Colts’ offense is they wasted a good performance from the defense. While the Patriots scored 26 points, 14 came off a blocked punt (where the Patriots started their drive at the Colts’ 2-yard line) and a pick-6. The Colts gave up 12 points – four field goals – the rest of the game.
Indy gave up just 203 total yards, allowing just 3.3 yards per play. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was held to 147 yards and sacked four times as the Colts brought consistent pressure. Kwity Paye (eight tackles, sack) and DeForest Buckner (seven tackles, sack) practically lived in the backfield all afternoon.
Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
When the defense is only responsible for 12 points, that should be more than enough to get the win. And yet, the Colts’ offense continues to fail their defensive teammates each weekend.
“Our defense kept us in the game,” Ehlinger said. “And we didn't do anything out there to help them out. They were playing their tails off and couldn't get anything going in every phase.”
“The defense played lights out again,” claimed Michael Pittman Jr., who caught just three passes for 22 yards. “It’s really tough because the defense is playing really great and we want to be there for them. Credit to our defense, they come out and play every single week, and we’ve just got to be better.”
But, at this point, can the Colts’ offense become better? Nine games in, and the same issues that were happening in Week 1 are still happening and may be getting worse. The words of belief are coming out of players’ mouths, but it does not feel like even they believe what they are saying.
The Colts are 3-5-1 and have lost three straight games. The offensive issues do not seem like they can be fixed with this group of players or coaches. With eight games remaining, the Colts still have a mathematical chance to make the playoffs and turn things around, but the writing looks to be on the wall.
As we look back at the ten-sack game in ’17 and compare it to the nine-sack game from Sunday, there are some parallels. The quarterback situation, both present, and future, is uncertain. The offensive line is in shambles. The head coach will likely be fired at the end of the season.
Only this time, the general manager has had five years to turn it around. The offensive line, which he vowed would never be as bad again, has regressed to the worst in the league, yet has the highest payroll in the NFL at $42.2 million this season. And still, no long-term answer has been found at the most important position in football.
This is what rock bottom feels like, and it will likely be a new regime that is tasked with fixing the mess that is the Indianapolis Colts this spring.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewMooreNFL.
