The NFL regular season is more of a marathon than a sprint, but the Indianapolis Colts still need to get off to a faster start.
We are only one week into the 2014 season, but the Colts of this year already seem eerily similar to the Colts we have seen for the past two years. Against the Denver Broncos, the Colts fought hard, but only after giving Denver a 24-point cushion to start the game. In the end, Indianapolis only lost by a single score, but the finality of the contest was not necessarily indicative of how outmatched the Colts seemed to be on both sides of the ball.
This slow start seems to be an example of the way Indianapolis has been playing recently. Of course, QB – Andrew Luck seems to be the league’s current 4th quarter comeback king, but he should not have to consistently be put in that position. The Broncos started last Sunday’s contest by connecting on six of their first seven 3rd down attempts. Last season overall, the Colts were 28th in the NFL on 3rd down passing attempts, and were also 29th in the red zone.
Over the last three games that mattered for the Colts (two postseason and one regular season) Indianapolis has been outscored by a total of 76 to 29 points in the first half. These slow starts cannot continue, if the Colts plan on eventually being successful in the NFL Playoffs. Is it a coaching issue? Is it a game plan problem? Regardless of where the blame lies, Indianapolis is going to have to find a way to fix this problem.
The Colts will host their first Monday Night Football game in four years this Monday, up against a high-powered Philadelphia Eagles offense. If the Colts get off to another slow start, then this game could be over early.