Colts: It’s very clear Indy cannot win games when they don’t establish the run

The Colts simply cannot win games in which they fail to establish the run.

If you told us entering the season that the Indianapolis Colts would rank 20th in the NFL in terms of rushing yards per game (106.7) through the first five weeks, we would have laughed in your face.

However, that is unfortunately very much the reality of things so far, as opposing teams are seemingly daring quarterback Philip Rivers to beat them by game planning to shut down Indy’s rushing attack, which currently ranks second-to-last in the league in yards per attempt (3.6).

It’s wild to think that the Colts are 3-2 despite these glaring struggles, but we’re not so sure the winning ways will continue once the schedule beefs up and they continue to fail at establishing the run. After all, head coach Frank Reich‘s side has lost both contests in which Rivers dropped back to pass 30 or more times.

In those games (Week 1 and 5), Rivers is a combined 57-of-79 for 606 yards and just one touchdown compared to a whopping four interceptions, proving all of his doubters right that he is incapable of carrying the team to victory without a competent running game.

In fairness to starting running back Jonathan Taylor, game script prevented him from taking control of Week 5, as he totaled just 12 carries for 57 yards and a TD. He was actually pretty efficient considering he was facing a Browns defense that has allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game (87.0) so far this season.

However, the Colts simply need to get him going earlier because putting the game in Rivers’ hands has proven to be the opposite of a recipe for winning football. The 38-year-old gunslinger made mistakes on Sunday, which included two ill-advised interceptions, a safety after being flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, and a bobbled snap on an important drive late in the game that you would literally expect from a rookie.

How bad has Rivers been through five games? Well, let’s just say that Reich had to field questions about potentially benching him against Cincinnati in Week 6 in his latest video conference with reporters. Cincinnati! We obviously have nothing but respect for the eight-time Pro Bowler, but it’s clear that he’s preventing the Colts from reaching their undeniably high ceiling.

To ensure that doesn’t continue to happen, Reich and Co. need to figure out how to get the running game humming. The offensive line is too good, and Taylor is too dynamic for it to continue struggling this much.

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