3 big concerns Colts still have after Sunday’s huge win

The Indianapolis Colts got their first win of the season in Week 3 but there still are some areas of concern heading into next week.

What a relief Week 3 was for many fans of the Indianapolis Colts. The team was able to capture their first win of the season over an AFC powerhouse in the Kansas City Chiefs. Indy was able to contain Patrick Mahomes and capitalized on mistakes to seal the win.

However, as much as we would like to celebrate the win, we would be remiss if we didn’t touch on concerns the Colts still have heading into their matchup with the Tennessee Titans. The rocky start to the season has led Indianapolis down a dark path in the AFC South. Despite their losing efforts against both Jacksonville and Houston, the Colts still find themselves second in the division heading into Week 4.

As coaches, players, and fans ride the high of a win into next week, let’s not forget the things Indy did wrong and what they need to improve upon against the Titans. Here are three big concerns after defeating the Chiefs.

3. Offense is still struggling

This may be hard for some fans to realize but despite the bookend touchdowns by rookie tight end Jelani Woods, the Indianapolis Colts offense struggled to get going again. Both Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce returned to the lineup and had significant impacts but neither were able to score. The Colts were able to capitalize on mistakes made by the Chiefs but weren’t able to manufacture their own success on offense.

Indianapolis had the ball 11 times in this game and only scored on four drives; two touchdowns and two field goals. Indy turned the ball over three times with either a turnover on downs or a fumble and punted the remaining three drives.

The team’s first touchdown of the game came off muffed punt by Skyy Moore that resulted in the Colts getting the ball at the four-yard line. It still took them three tries to score. They ran the ball the first two downs with minimal success and then Matt Ryan connected with Woods in the end zone. That was the first, first-half touchdown of the season but it wasn’t generated by the offense putting together a drive. Instead, they were simply able to capitalize on the Chiefs’ mistake and terrific field position.

Then as Indianapolis was battling back Ryan was sacked for an eight-yard loss on third down that would have forced the Colts to punt staring down a fourth-and-14 situation. Instead, Chris Jones got flagged for an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty that moved the chains for Indy. That put the Colts at first-and-10 from their own 46-yard line. From there Ryan was able to put together a drive that ended with Woods scoring another touchdown. However, without that penalty fans are rioting as the team has lost three straight to start the season.

Some positives were that Pierce was more involved and made some great plays. Nyheim Hines also was used more in the passing game, although he could benefit from seeing some production in the running game as well. Jonathan Taylor rushed 21 times for 71 yards getting back to his usual volume. However, you’d like to see some consistency from this offense and their ability to manufacture their own drives and success. Defeating the Chiefs was an incredible feat, but now the team has to focus on generating their own success as the ball won’t always fall right in your lap for easy scores.