If there is a game that the Indianapolis Colts should be expected to win through six weeks into this season, it's their next one against the 0-5 Tennessee Titans. Frankly, the Colts have no business dropping this one, and if they do, the week after will be brutal for Shane Steichen.
Even amid their struggles on both sides of the ball, the Colts stand as a better team than the Titans, and this first of two matchups between the division rivals presents a great opportunity for the Colts to draw even on their record and maintain their distance from not just the Titans, but the Houston Texans as well.
There's just one potential problem: how will the Colts win if they indeed beat the Titans? They can get the win, but come away with it unconvincingly. If this season has shown us anything about the Colts, it's that nothing about them is convincing. That's a problem defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will have to face: how will his defense perform in a win?
The Indianapolis Colts' defense could overshadow a win over Titans in a negative way
Indianapolis's 34-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers exposed recurring issues: missed tackles, explosive plays allowed by the defense, and red-zone execution on offense—all factors that contributed to the team's struggles.
This has been the trend of the season for the Colts, and while Daniel Jones and the offensive passing attack have played subpar football, it's just as bad, or worse, for the Anarumo's defense, especially the pass rush. The Colts rank last in the NFL with a 24 percent pressure rate and a continuous inability to get to the opposing quarterback.
Anarumo hasn't had a reliable, consistent point of attack from his defensive line, even with the likes of DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Arden Key, and Laiatu Latu filling out that front line. With Key on injured reserve, that's one less experienced pass rusher absent from a group that hasn't made an impact.
The good news for the Colts defense is Cam Ward—he's not good, the Titans offense isn't good, and the team isn't good. The Titans might do themselves in even if the Colts play average on defense, or worse, and that's the unconvincing part of whether they still get the win.
A win would bring the Colts to 3-3, but the chances of another four-quarter display of their inability to consistently pair any form of offensive production with dependable defense don't look good right now.
Despite Jones's struggles, the Colts should still be able to outscore Ward and the Titans' offense. That said, defensive breakdowns will make it difficult to control games when the offense fails to deliver points of any kind on every possession.
The Colts should win this game, but it will likely be overshadowed by the same problems that will lead to next week's headlines and Colts conversation starters focused on what didn't go right, rather than the win.
A win is a win, and that's a good thing. How the Colts win will matter more, though, if it's ugly and overwhelmingly flawed.
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