The Indianapolis Colts have started off the season 0-2 for the seventh time since 2011. In the previous six contests in which they started off the season this slow, they only made the playoffs once. In the lone season where they made the playoffs after starting 0-2, the Colts made it all the way to the AFC Championship game. That said, starting off winless to a season is never a good thing. However, with the season still young, the Colts have time to turn things around.
Last season, nine teams started the year at 0-2. Out of those nine, only one team made the playoffs, and that was the Houston Texans led by CJ Stroud. There are high expectations for the Colts, but in order for any of those expectations to be met, Indy must turn things around and do it fast.
How the Indianapolis Colts Can Turn Things Around
Rely on Jonathan Taylor
During Sunday’s game, Jonathan Taylor finished with 103 yards rushing and 32 yards receiving. This was clearly a bounce-back game from week one, but his efforts were not enough to get the win. It needs to be noted that Taylor only had 12 carries and this is a big problem. Taylor is the Colts best playmaker right now and the game was well within reach for much of the day. Therefore, abandoning the run was not warranted. It also needs to be noted that Taylor did not have a carry in the fourth quarter. According to reports, there was no indication that Taylor was injured, so for whatever reason, Shane Steichen believed it was best to take his best playmaker out of the game.
Throughout this tough offensive performance, the one saving grace was Taylor and he was mightily under-utilized. If the Colts want to get their first win of the season, they must rely on Jonathan Taylor more. There is no reason to limit him to only 12 carries in a game, especially with an inexperienced quarterback.
Get Anthony Richardson Settled
In any losing effort, most of the blame goes to the quarterback. On Sunday, Anthony Richardson certainly deserves most of the blame for the loss. However, he is still learning and developing as he has only played in six NFL games and only had 13 college starts. Needless to say, Richardson has not had a lot of playing time like other first-round quarterbacks. He is extremely raw and must have room to grow and develop.
In week one, Richardson showed flashes of brilliance as he connected on two deep shots, one of which being a 60-yard touchdown. Week two, however, was a different story. Richardson averaged just six yards per attempt against the Green Bay Packers. This is significantly low compared to his 11.2 average per attempt in against the Houston Texans. If these two weeks have shown anything, it is that there will be several moments of highs and lows with Richardson. The good news is that he possesses all of the skills and tools to be a franchise quarterback. He just needs to put all of the pieces together and it starts will doing the little things right. There were high expectations for Richardson and the Colts this season. However, fans need to remember that he has only started six games in his NFL career. He still has a long way to go.
Trust the Defense
This might come as a surprise, but in order for the Colts to turn this season around, they must trust their defense. On Sunday, Indy got off to a very slow start in which they found themselves down two scores early and played catchup the entire game. That being said, the defense continued to step up and give the offense opportunities to come back and even win.
Gus Bradley is certainly on the hot seat after this 0-2 start and being 32nd against the run. However, this season, the Colts have been dealing with injuries all over the unit. During Sunday’s matchup, both DeForest Buckner and Laiatu Latu suffered injuries in which they did not return to the game. Buckner is dealing with an ankle sprain, and Latu has a hip injury. There is no timetable on when these two will return to the field, however this unit still only gave up 16 points down so many players.
Regardless of how depleted this defense is, they are only giving up two touchdowns per game, which ranks 10th in the league. They also have an eight percent sack rate, which ranks 15th. The run defense certainly has to get shored up, but the main components of a solid defense are there. If Buckner, Latu, and Julian Blackmon can get back healthy, this unit can get itself back on track. A solid defense can do wonders for a young and inexperienced quarterback. The Colts have a young and inexperienced quarterback this season. Now, the defense needs to step up and help him out.
Main Image: Dan Powers – USA Today Sports
