Colts: 3 things Indy must focus on fixing during bye week

Here are three things the Colts must focus on fixing during their bye in Week 7.

The Indianapolis Colts enter their bye week in really strong position, but it goes without saying that the vibes surrounding them wouldn’t be as positive if they hadn’t overcome a 21-point deficit to topple Cincinnati last Sunday.

A 4-2 start to the season has head coach Frank Reich’s side right in the thick of the AFC playoff picture and right on the tail of the Titans, who remain undefeated but have to come back down to earth at some point…right?

Fans in Indianapolis are justified in being pleased with the Colts’ record, but their performance over the last two weeks has left a lot to be desired. In Week 5 against Cleveland, quarterback Philip Rivers couldn’t help but turn the ball over and reminded everybody why he’s only a stopgap option under center.

The defense, meanwhile, had Baker Mayfield looking like a competent gunslinger (at times) and their struggles continued into Week 6, when it allowed an average Bengals team to score three touchdowns just seconds into the second quarter.

Rivers’ vintage performance helped spark the comeback, but the bottom line is that the Colts are a heavily-flawed team that has a lot to address during the bye. With that in mind, here are three things Reich and the rest of the coaching staff must focus on fixing.

3. Protecting Philip Rivers From Himself

The old mantra “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is extremely applicable when it comes to Rivers, who makes fans hold their breath whenever he drops back to pass. That stress is only amplified when the pocket collapses and he finds himself on the run trying to throw his wide receivers open, which hardly ever goes well.

In fairness to the 38-year-old quarterback, he was instrumental (to say the least) in the team’s comeback win over the Bengals in Week 6, finishing 29-of-44 for 371 yards and three touchdowns compared to one interception. As great as that performance was, however, it would be boneheaded for Reich to think that Rivers attempting more than 40 passes per game is a recipe for winning football.

The win vs Cincinnati marked the first time all season that Indianapolis won a game in which Rivers dropped back to pass more than 30 times, and the team would probably be 0-3 in those scenarios if it wasn’t facing a lifeless Bengals defense. We seriously hope that the coaching staff hasn’t forgotten that Rivers is still a severely limited gunslinger and people were calling for his job just two weeks ago.

Protecting Rivers from his turnover-prone self will put the Colts in the best position to win games, and brainstorming a blueprint to ensure that happens that has to be one of the top priorities during the bye.

2. What’s Wrong With the Defense?

Remember when Indianapolis’ defense was widely considered to be the best in the NFL through the first month of the season? Following a dismal showing in Week 1 against Jacksonville, the group really hit its stride over the next three contests, conceding an impossible 9.6 points per game.

Fast forward to the present, however, and the defense has hit a huge wall. How poor have the last two games been? Well, let’s just say that the Colts have allowed more points in that span (59) than they did for the first four games of the season combined (56).

Has anybody taken a look at who Indy has coming up on the schedule after the bye? For those wondering, yes, that includes Detroit, which has quietly scored 26.6 points per game despite being 2-3. After that “should win” game, the Colts face off against the likes of the Ravens, Titans, Packers, and Titans again. To put that gauntlet of games into perspective, each of those teams ranks in the top 10 in terms of points per game and total offense.

Reich and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus desperately need to find answers during the bye week. If they don’t, the second half of Indianapolis’ season could come dangerously close to mirroring 2019, when the team finished on a 2-5 skid, which included a daunting four-game losing streak from Weeks 12 to 15, after a 5-2 start to the year.

1. Establishing the Run Early

It pains us to admit it, but Indianapolis has lost its identity as a run-first offense over the last several weeks. While fans will be quick to blame the impossibly slow starts by the defense, the offensive line has been night and day blocking the run compared to pass protection.

How bad has it been? Rookie running back Jonathan Taylor has been held under 70 yards in every game but one so far. Since Week 2’s drubbing of Minnesota, when the 2020 second-round pick totaled 101 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, we can’t remember a game this season where the Colts managed to establish the run early and didn’t abandon it.

It’s worth noting that Taylor’s yards per attempt, which were a BIG concern early on, have made considerable strides over the last four weeks. However, he’s only averaging 13.5 carries per game during that span. For a team that was literally built to beat teams by pounding the rock, that simply cannot happen.

It’s on the coaching staff to figure out a way to get Taylor cooking early and often when the Colts return from their bye. As we mentioned earlier, the schedule stiffens up in the second half of the campaign, and Rivers simply won’t be capable of saving their bacon if they continue to dig themselves large deficits in the first halves of games. Establishing the run early is a surefire way to prevent that from happening.

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