A loss this humiliating was truly a team effort.
There were certainly areas where the Colts could improve, but there were plenty of reasons for supporters to be encouraged coming into Week 2. The squad headed to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to play the Packers at Lambeau Field, where most NFL analysts predicted they would win.
Instead, the Colts utterly collapsed. Even without Jordan Love, the Packers dominated. Despite the deceptively tight 16-10 score, the Colts were absolutely humiliated Sunday in one of the worst football performances an NFL fan could hope for. Unfortunately, there is plenty of blame to go around.
5. Colts Run Defense
While the Colts struggled to run against the Texans, it was expected that the Packers would run the ball as often as possible. Malik Willis, who replaces Love, is an inexperienced quarterback. The Packers were not going to take a chance on him, so the Colts should have worked hard to prepare their defense for that.
It’s unclear what the Colts did over the last week, but based on their performance, it wasn’t to improve their run defense. The Packers rushed for an incredible 237 yards in the first half alone, with running back Josh Jacobs finishing with 146 yards on 29 carries. The Colts adjusted in the second half, limiting the Packers to 261 yards total, but the damage had already been done. Furthermore, it demonstrated their ability to stop the run; thus, what were they doing in the first half?
Lotta blame to go around for the #Colts in week two, but here's 52 seconds of pass catching disappointment from #INDvsGB pic.twitter.com/med8HHBcTQ
— Chris Shepherd (@NFLscheme) September 15, 2024
4. Adonai Mitchell, Michael Pittman Jr., and Kylen Granson
There is no doubt that Richardson was not the leader the Colts needed yesterday, but he is far from the only one to blame for the offense’s poor performance. Richardson’s accuracy was poor, but when he did throw on target, he clearly couldn’t find any receivers who could catch the ball.
Richardson repeatedly got the ball exactly where he needed it, only to drop it. Adonai Mitchell, Michael Pittman Jr., and Kylen Granson all dropped throws that should have been easy to catch. Mitchell even stopped running in the middle of a play, appearing to give up completely. Alec Pierce has proven to be a standout for the Colts, but if Richardson is to be successful, he will need more than one receiver to rely on.
ANTHONY RICHARDSON WITH A 40 YARD TD BOMB 👀 pic.twitter.com/MPhFF9YeYY
— H-Town Central (@HoustonCentral_) September 15, 2024
3. Anthony Richardson
Despite his promising performance against the Texans, Richardson was a catastrophe against the Packers. He threw three interceptions, made numerous weak passes, and overall demonstrated terrible decision-making, which the Colts cannot afford. Throughout the game, Richardson passed to receivers who were closely covered while leaving other guys wide open.
Richardson concluded the day with only a 50% completion rate, 204 yards and one touchdown. Though he may still have a bright future ahead of him, Sunday’s game against the Packers served as a clear reminder that Richardson is still inexperienced and needs to mature before he can truly lead this club.
2. Matt Gay
Matt Gay, the Colts’ kicker, missed the first game against the Texans due to hernia surgery, but his performance in Week 2 was disappointing. He missed a 50-yard field goal attempt, repeating a troubling trend from the preseason, when he missed three field goals in two games.
Gay struggled last season, having his poorest season since his debut year in 2019. That could have been attributed to a hip issue, but Gay is said to be okay today. As one of the league’s highest-paid kickers, this level of performance is unacceptable.
1. Shane Steichen and Gus Bradley
The majority of the blame for the Colts’ failure may be thrown at the feet of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and head coach Shane Steichen. Fans have already began screaming for Bradley’s firing, as he appeared entirely unprepared for what his defense would face… and made essentially the same blunders he did against the Texans.
Bradley said in Week 1 that they focused more on coverage than on the run; this could have been understandable if the mistake had been corrected in Week 2. Instead, while almost everyone in the NFL expected the Packers to focus on running the ball with an inexperienced quarterback at the helm, Bradley was content to proceed in the same manner he did in Week 1, and his defense failed terribly.
Gus Bradley said the Colts lightened the box in order to handle the Texans' three star receivers and they wound up putting too much emphasize on coverage over run fits. The dam broke late.
Like the defensive players, Bradley was shocked by quite how much it broke.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) September 10, 2024
However, the fault ultimately falls on Steichen, the head coach. His play-calling frequently made little sense; for example, in the fourth quarter, the Colts were attempting to rally for a comeback victory. Steichen not only kept Jonathan Taylor, the best player on the field that day, on the bench, but he also had running back Trey Sermon attempt a 4th and one option run out of the shotgun, despite the fact that Sermon has yet to shown his ability to handle such high-pressure situations. That was a situation in which the Colts needed Taylor, but Steichen repeatedly elected to keep Taylor out of the game and run Sermon instead.
Steichen also made mistakes with his new quarterback; while Richardson has become the face of this team, he is still essentially a novice. Nonetheless, Richardson was instructed to drop back and attempt deep passes against the Packers’ two-high shell defense and receivers who were as inexperienced as Richardson himself. Richardson has also demonstrated his athleticism and running ability, as evidenced by his 11-yard rush and first down against the Packers on Sunday, and this talent might have been used to compliment Taylor as well. But, so far, Steichen appears to be bent on limiting Richardson’s ability to run. The Colts pass game was clearly struggling, so why did Steichen choose not to use the weapons he had at his disposal?
The Colts’ roster is loaded with young talent and has the potential to be a dangerous football team. But if that’s going to happen, their coaches must quit completely failing them at every opportunity.