Can the Colts replicate their offensive performance from Week 6 moving forward?
The Indianapolis Colts finally had a good game offensively but now the challenge becomes remaining productive moving forward.
Entering Week 6, the Indianapolis Colts were averaging 13.8 points a game. That was dead last in the NFL. The offense was essentially nonexistent, giving up several sacks and consistently turning the ball over. To make matters worse, Indy couldn’t even run the ball well in the first five games, something the Colts were once automatic at last season. On Sunday, the offense may have turned a corner.
In the Week 6 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis had an offensive explosion, winning the game 34-27. The Colts were led by Matt Ryan who completed 42-of-58 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns. More impressively, Indy didn’t have any turnovers or sacks. In the end, it was the offense that won the game on Sunday for Indianapolis. Now the question is, can Indy continue to play like this offensively?
Can the Colts continue to play at this level on offense?
Fans should be encouraged by the offensive performance from Sunday because although Indianapolis was good, they didn’t necessarily do anything special, or rare. That’s a good thing because that means it’s a format, or formula of sorts, that the Colts can repeat in order to have offensive input. That formula was protecting the football and playing fast.
Frank Reich said postgame: He told the players early in the week they were going all in on the no-huddle against the Jags. https://t.co/XUbU2BsupE
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) October 16, 2022
Playing fast refers to Indy’s tempo before the snap and once the ball is snapped. The Colts were intentional about getting on the ball and getting things rolling and they were even more deliberate about getting the ball out of Ryan’s hands fast. By doing that, Indy limited the risk of sacks and turnovers. Additionally, it allowed Ryan to put the ball in the playmakers’ hands and they were ready to step up.
Indy’s pass-catching group has gotten a lot of flack the last season and a half but they’ve been delivering as of late and several guys stepped up on Sunday. Michael Pittman Jr. dominated, as usual, Alec Pierce continued to show that he’s unstoppable one-on-one, and all of the tight ends are becoming reliable targets.
Ultimately, what the Colts did on Sunday can be replicated to a degree. Indianapolis isn’t going to ask Matt Ryan to throw the ball 58 times a game every week and each game will be different based on opposing defenses and several other factors. However, Indy can enter future games with the same offensive approach from Sunday and it should lead to more productive outings for the offense.
