Colts secondary is in disarray following a 38-27 Week 8 defeat to the Saints

The Colts are 1-9 in the last 10 home games and have lost 12 consecutive games when allowing one giveaway.

The Indianapolis Colts’ 38-27 loss against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday marked their third straight loss, presumably due to problems in the secondary.

Rashid Shaheed, a receiver for the Saints, had an incredible breakout game against what was perhaps the most inexperienced team in the NFL. He caught three passes for 152 yards and scored the team’s longest play from scrimmage this season. Shaheed’s three longest plays from scrimmage were all his receptions, including a 44-yard snag reminiscent of Randy Moss that was first called an interception by Colts safety Rodney Thomas but was eventually called a completed catch and down by contact.

Tony Brown Jr. earned his fifth career start with seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones of the Colts, who went up the depth chart. Brown gave up seven receptions on seven targets for 187 receiving yards and a touchdown while playing as the closest defender.

Since Dallis Flowers and Darrell Baker Jr. were selected as the starting cornerback tandem prior to the preseason opener, the unpredictable carousel in the Colts’ thin secondary has seen significant changes. During the Week 4 home loss against the Los Angeles Rams, Flowers tore his Achilles tendon. Following a lackluster effort in the season opener, Baker was benched for a month and did not participate in a single defensive play in Sunday’s defeat.

To start the second drive and put pressure on the opposition inside the red zone, the Colts fed feature back Jonathan Taylor on four straight carries. These two rush plays for more than forty yards each by Zack Moss and Taylor are the longest runs the Saints have allowed this season.

Long snapper Luke Rhodes of the Colts was covered by the Saints, allowing Shane Steichen to get the offense back on the field for a fourth-down try. Midway through the first quarter, the Colts led 7-0 thanks to a 10-yard touchdown run by Michael Pittman Jr., which Minshew designed using the run-pass-option.

To get the ball into Colts territory, Saints quarterback Derek Carr found Thomas in the middle of the field for a 31-yard gain on a third down. Carr rebounded well, completing 19 of 27 passes for 310 yards passing. The ten-year veteran targeted any receiver Brown was covering and scored a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. He attacked Brown at will.

Taysom Hill raced left for a 13-yard gain for a first down, and New Orleans’ power run package turned into an explosive weapon to bust through the barricade inside the red zone. Carr found Kamara on an angle route on the first play inside the red zone, and he quickly ducked by Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin to pin-balled his way through the goal line for an 18-yard touchdown to tie the game.

After the Colts were forced to enter Saints territory due to two holding and pass interference penalties against Marshon Lattimore, kicker Matt Gay of the Colts responded with a 20-yard field goal to give the team a 10-7 lead again. On third down, Colts head coach Shane Steichen unveiled the playbook. Minshew faked a jet sweep and sent the ball to Taylor on the left for a 13-yard gain.

The Colts gained possession inside Saints territory when DeForest Buckner tackled Carr and batted the ball free for his league-leading second strip-sack. Dayo Odeyingbo then came out of the dogpile with the football. Six strip-sacks by the Colts front line give them the NFL lead.

Josh Downs, a third-round choice of the Colts, is having yet another incredible rookie season. He led the offense with a team-high 72 receiving yards on seven receptions. In order to gain a first down inside the red zone on third-and-9, Downs dove close to the sideline and dragged ten toes in the turf. Indianapolis took a 17–7 lead after Moss scored on four straight carries, reaching back past the goal line to tuck the leather under his head for a one-yard touchdown run.

Chris Olave and Michael Thomas exploited the inexperienced Colts cornerback for two 15-yard receptions as New Orleans struck back.

The Saints continued to pummel the Colts inside the red zone as Hill ran in a 20-yard TD to cut the deficit to 17-14 midway through the second quarter. Hill led the Saints with a season-high 63 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

In only two plays, Carr attacked Brown to reclaim the lead and stun the crowd after the Colts went three and out to cut the game clock short by one minute. With 5:42 remaining before halftime, Shaeed burned Brown on a go-route for a 58-yard touchdown to give the Saints a 21-17 lead.

In order to sustain the drive with five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Minshew found Downs positioned in open space to convert another third and long. Before the half, Matt Gay’s 42-yard field goal brought the score to 21-20 thanks to Minshew’s sprint out of the pocket and usage of his legs to convert another manageable third down.

Midway through the third quarter, Carr’s misconnection issues persisted, but the Saints were still able to change field position and stall Indianapolis inside its own 3-yard line. The Colts drive came to an abrupt stop in field goal range when Minshew lofted an incorrect pop fly toward the end zone, which Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo intercepted. Moss had raced upfield for a 41-yard gain to get the team within Saints territory.

Carr’s misconnection problems continued by the middle of the third quarter, but the Saints managed to improve field position and stop Indianapolis within its own 3-yard line. Minshew lofted an errant pop fly toward the end zone, which Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo intercepted, bringing the Colts drive to a sudden halt at field goal range. Moss had moved the team into Saints territory with a 41-yard run upfield.

The Colts have dropped 12 straight games while giving up a single giveaway, and they are 1-9 in their last 10 home games. In Week 9, Indianapolis will play the Carolina Panthers (1-6) on the road, where they will reunite with former head coach Frank Reich.