The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the league’s biggest surprises this season, and most of the credit has naturally gone to the high-scoring offense. Head coach Shane Steichen, quarterback Daniel Jones, and running back Jonathan Taylor are all firing on all cylinders.
However, the Indianapolis defense has also played a big role in the team’s 4-1 start. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s unit has stepped up in key moments and made game-changing plays.
After Week 5, the Colts deserve praise for an extraordinary defensive performance against the Las Vegas Raiders. Indianapolis held Las Vegas to just six points — the Raiders’ lowest scoring total in 665 days.
Indianapolis Colts defense shuts down the Las Vegas offense
The Raiders don’t have an elite offense, but they averaged 19.3 points per game across the first four weeks and scored 20 points or more three times. Then, they ran into a buzzsaw in Indianapolis, managing just two field goals at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Las Vegas’ six points is not only its lowest total of the 2025 season, but worse than any of the Raiders’ 2024 performances as well. In fact, this marks the team’s lowest output since December 10, 2023, when the Minnesota Vikings shut out Las Vegas in a 3-0 snooze-fest.
In that matchup with Minnesota, the Raiders turned the ball over three times, gave up four sacks, and scraped together just 202 total yards. While the stats weren’t quite as bad this time around, the Las Vegas offense was equally disastrous against Indianapolis.
The Colts’ defense delivered in multiple ways in Week 5. It was a team-wide effort as every part of the defense — from the front seven to the secondary — did their job.
First, the Indianapolis pass rush made life uncomfortable for veteran quarterback Geno Smith. Four different Colts recorded a sack, and the intense pressure even resulted in an interception when Grover Stewart deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage into the hands of Laiatu Latu.
Next, the Raiders’ star rookie Ashton Jeanty never got into a rhythm on the ground, finishing with 67 rushing yards. After dropping the first 100-yard game of his career against Chicago, Jeanty quickly got a reality check from Indianapolis.
Finally, after letting Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua go nuclear in Week 4, the Colts’ banged-up secondary had a true bounce-back game. Safeties Nick Cross and Cam Bynum were solid, but the cornerbacks truly stole the show.
Charvarius Ward turned in another lockdown performance, Chris Lammons impressed with back-to-back pass breakups on Jakobi Meyers, and Mekhi Blackmon notched the second pick of his career.
With every member of the Indianapolis defense contributing, it's no surprise Las Vegas couldn’t find a way to get into the end zone. Of course, the Colts have tougher opponents coming up, so they will be hoping for repeat performances.