The Indianapolis Colts are continuing their historic season as they relied on the leagues rushing leader to ice the game in the fourth quarter in Berlin last week. Jonathan Taylor and the offense have been playing at an elite level, and there is no stopping them.
On the defensive side, the Colts have some more work to be done as well. DeForest Buckner being placed on IR is killer for the defensive line; Charvarius Ward being on IR also led to the Colts trading for Sauce Gardner, and the weakside linebacker position has been a mess since EJ Speed left in free agency.
However, a bright spot has been the development of Liatu Latu and the aggressive nature of the defense since Lou Anorumo took over defensive duties. Although the Colts are in a good spot, the next few weeks are full of challenging games. In the final six weeks of the 2025 season, they play the Jags twice, Houston, the 49ers, the Seahawks, and the Chiefs.
The Indianapolis Colts defensive cohesion will be tested
The biggest hole since the Gardner trade is now the outside linebacker position. Chris Ballard has shown he loves big, beefy linemen and athletic linebackers to help in pass coverage. While this sounds good on paper, the Colts are sorely lacking a legitimate outside linebacker since EJ Speed left.
However, trading two first-round picks tells me the Colts plan to offer Daniel Jones a long-term deal.
Indianapolis has tried to fill the hole with Jaylon Carlies, but with his injury, the likelihood he will see extensive playing time is unlikely. The Colts recently signed Germaine Pratt, who played under the Anorumo scheme while he was in Cincinnati. They have also attempted to have a rotating carousel with players such as Joe Bachie, Austin Ajiake, and Cameron McGrone without major success.
The Colts have done a great job at filling holes with players who have the skills but lack the long-term depth at certain positions, such as the offensive line, outside linebacker, and the safety position. While Ballard has revamped his approach to team building, the holes still remain.
With the bye week here, the Colts could take advantage of this time and give the linebacker position some extra practice time to encourage more cohesion at the OLB position. Next week, the Colts take on Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium, and it will be a litmus test for their new defensive lineup.
Sitting at 7-2, the Colts cannot let off the gas and must continue to get better. As it stands, the Colts are tied with New England at 8-2 for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Since the Colts and the Patriots don't play each other this season to have a tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed, every game counts as we enter the final third of the season.