3 Things Colts Need to Fix Before Taking on the Chiefs

The Indianapolis Colts will take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football this Sunday, but they have a few key areas to clean up before they embark on their trip South to Arrowhead.

The Colts were embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens at home to kick off the 2026 regular season, and the Chiefs will pose a similar threat as legitimate title contenders.

Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and Steve Spagnuolo are all amongst the best in the league in their respective roles, and the Colts must shore up any lingering mishaps that resulted in their aforementioned 0-1 start.

The Colts' showing in the season opener suggests that they'll need to rebound big in Week 2 if they want to be taken seriously in 2026, and I'm breaking down the three biggest areas they'll need to improve if they want any chance at rewriting the narrative that says they'll inevitably collapse.

Communication Miscues

The Indianapolis Colts' Week 1 defensive woes are largely attributed to communication miscues.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo began the season with veteran safety Cam Bynum as the defense's green dot, but this quickly proved to be the wrong decision.

It wasn't anything Bynum did or didn't do, per se, but rather the logistics of having your free-ranging safety forced into the box made no sense.

“It didn't impact me in a negative way, but there was a lot more on my plate, especially pre-snap," Bynum on how taxing green dot duties were as a safety. "My biggest worry was make sure I get the call. So normally, my worry is I can hear the call, but I can see the offense leaving the huddle."

"For me, my back is to the offense and having to get the call to the guys, then run back 15 yards deep, where whether I'm playing post or playing quarters or the deep half. So certain things where, like I mentioned earlier, there are reasons that linebackers normally have the job, but not saying that I couldn't have done it."

The Colts were the only defense not to have a linebacker calling the defense, and the results mirror that.

Anarumo recognized this after practice on Wednesday, and he said the team's quarterback of the defense will go to veteran linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither.

"I think it's really a good move to have Akeem (Davis-Gaither) do it, especially knowing that he's a good veteran and that he can do that part also," Cam Bynum said of the move.

Davis-Gaither took on green dot duties for Lou Anarumo's 2024 Cincinnati Bengals defense down the stretch, and he had 58 tackles (9.6 average), 2 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery in six starts.

The Colts were prepared to roll with rookie linebacker CJ Allen as their starting MIKE and green dot defender as soon as they drafted him, but preseason calf and hamstring injuries set the rookie back and forced the defense's hand.

So while Allen didn't record a snap during Week 1, there's a strong chance that he becomes a starter and takes over the green dot duties that Indianapolis envisioned he'd be doing sooner rather than later.

For the foreseeable future, it's Akeem Davis-Gaither who will serve as the quarterback of the defense.

Run Defense

The Colts' run defense needs to improve before they take on Kenneth Walker II and the Chiefs' rushing attack.

Against the Ravens, Colts' defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo made a concerted effort to stop future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry, but it didn't work. Not even in the slightest.

Anarumo deployed the highest heavy-box rate (48.4%) among all NFL defenses in Week 1, but Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson had other plans.

The Colts' defense allowed 99 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns with eight defenders in the box, per Locked on Colts' Zach Hicks.

Despite loading the box, the Colts' run defense couldn't stop a nosebleed, let alone the all-time rushing attack headlined by Jackson and Henry.

In total, the Colts gave up 202 rushing yards against the Baltimore Ravens, and although they won't have to worry about facing the aforementioned duo unless they match up in the playoffs, the Chiefs' new-looking rushing attack should not be taken lightly.

The Chiefs added 2025 Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to the mix earlier this offseason, and they're already seeing big-time results.

In Week 1, Walker III led all NFL backs with 173 rushing yards. He did this while averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

The Chiefs have largely been a shotgun-centric offense, but have transitioned into becoming an under-center operation, and it's already paying dividends with a north and south runner like Walker III back deep.

The Colts can load the box as much as they did last week, but it won't mean anything if they can't establish their defensive front.

If the Colts want to have any chance at stopping Patrick Mahomes and Co., it starts up front at the line of scrimmage.

Winning Against Pressure

Colts' starting quarterback Daniel Jones did not have a downright awful showing in Week 1, but he struggled in areas that have haunted him in the past.

Against the Ravens, Jones was sacked twice and went 19-31 for 166 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception through the air.

Jones struggled most because he was pressured on more than half of his dropbacks.

#Colts QB Daniel Jones was the most pressured quarterback of Week 1, according to @NextGenStats.

Jones was pressured on 18 of his 34 dropbacks (52.9%) against the Ravens.
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) September 14, 2026

This is no winning formula for any quarterback, but especially not for one who has always had trouble against pressure.

Jones has historically struggled under pressure, but he was looking like a new-and-improved version of himself in 2025 as he was finding consistent success against the blitz.

In Week 1 of the 2026 season, however, Jones struggled against pressure.

Jones was just 3-11 for 9 passing yards when under pressure against the Ravens, and is now taking on a Steve Spagnuolo defense that enjoys blitzing from exotic looks.

Spagnuolo's Chiefs defense allowed the least amount of total yards (176) in Week 1 and was one of just two NFL teams to allow less than 200 yards.

The Colts desperately need to unlock their ultra-efficient offense from a season ago, and there's no better test than against the Kansas City Chiefs on primetime television.

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