Dopey Report Card: Colts vs. Packers

They can't stop the run. They can't move the football. This is a very big problem for the winless Colts, who need to pull it together before this season gets away from them. I know...duh.

RUN OFFENSE

So Jonathan Taylor ran for 103 yards through the better part of three quarters and then…he disappeared. Stood on the sidelines. Watched Tyler Goodson and Trey Sermon attempt to bring the Colts back from a deficit. This is the same JT who the Colts caved to when he staged a contract holdout last year, the same player they’re counting on to be an elite playmaker. Now, I understand, the Colts were in passing mode and Taylor already had dropped two passes, so the assumption is Shane Steichen felt more confident with his two backups in there. But if you’re paying him the big money, use him like a big-money alpha. On a late-game third-and-1 in Green Bay territory, there was Sermon, bobbling a pitch on a speed option, getting thrown for a loss. That forced Matt Gay to attempt a 50-yarder, which he missed. It still makes little or no sense to me. Steichen Monday tried to dance around the reason for Taylor’s absence, strongly hinting it was because the Colts were in a passing posture, and Taylor isn’t a great receiver or blocker. Which is fine, but then he said, “We wanted to get Trey (Sermon) some reps.” To his credit, The Star’s Gregg Doyel challenged Steichen on that bit of nonsense. I mean, we’re not the brightest bulbs in the drawer, but don’t insult our intelligence with that kind of statement. Please. Also wondering why Anthony Richardson rushed just one time on a called run play. Are they afraid of him getting hurt? This is one of the things that makes him so unique and promising. Let him cook.  

Grade: B

RUN DEFENSE

Holy crap. A week ago, they got run over by Joe Mixon and the Houston Texans, who rushed for 213 yards. This week, they gave up 237 yard in the first half alone, the most Indy has allowed since 2006. What has happened to the front seven, the group we all expected was going to be the strength of this team? The Colts utilize 10 defensive linemen, rotating them in despite the fact that without Grover Stewart in there, opponents tend to run wild. Chris Ballard believed his defensive line and linebackers would be so strong, it would make up for the fact the already-thin secondary has been further diminished by injuries to Julian Blackmon and JuJu Brents. (Steichen said you can’t anticipate injuries, but looking at Blackmon’s and Brents’ injury histories, you’d have to be a fool not to note that they’re injury prone.) I mean, the Colts knew what was coming; they knew Matt LaFleur would protect his inexperienced backup quarterback, Malik Willis, and attempt to run it down the Colts’ throats. Mission accomplished. The Packers rushed 22 of 24 plays in the first quarter. This is about desire and toughness and attitude, and the Colts are desperately lacking in all those areas. All 11 starters are back. That was supposed to be a good thing. Well, it’s not, not in the slightest.

Grade: F