Assessing the Colts offense so far

We are now three games into the 2018 season. There is enough on film to make an assessment on how good the Colts offense is. What is the verdict?

This is certainly a different offense than we’ve seen in years past. The Colts are calling different plays and using personnel packages that are different than what we are used to seeing. But has that made the offense better?

Right now, the answer is no. The Colts have not looked sharp on offense since the first game. They throw a lot of short passes now. In fact, Andrew Luck only threw for 164 yards on 25 completions on Sunday. They haven’t taken many deep shots yet.

Some of that might be out of necessity. The offensive line is still banged up. Anthony Castonzo hasn’t suited up for a game still. The line doesn’t have the skill to protect Luck long enough to take those deep shots. He’s forced to get rid of the ball quickly.

But that doesn’t excuse the lack of red zone production. The Colts have been pitiful in the red zone so far. They haven’t been able to score touchdowns, and it has killed them. On Sunday they were 1-5 in the red zone. Leaving that many points on the board is going to cause you to lose.

Luck has looked a little rusty too, which is understandable. But he also hasn’t learned from past mistakes. He still makes risky throws into coverage too often. Sunday was the first game in which he did not throw an interception. But he simply has to do better.

The Colts can’t afford to squander this defense, which is actually pretty good. If the offense can play to their potential, this could be a dangerous team moving forward.