The Indianapolis Colts have been stellar on the offensive side of the ball in 2025. The arrival of new starting QB Daniel Jones has unlocked head coach Shane Steichen’s offense and transformed Indianapolis into a scoring machine.
The numbers don’t lie. The Colts have yet to punt this season and scored on 14 of their first 17 drives. Through two games, Indianapolis is second in the NFL in total yards, third in time of possession, and fourth in points. In other words, this team has been able to move the ball at will and dominate opposing defenses.
At first glance, the Colts have looked historically good so far this year. However, there is a major problem bubbling under the surface that could derail their season. If the Indianapolis offense wants to keep the good times rolling, the unit has to be better at the most important part of football: scoring touchdowns.
Red zone offense could be the fatal flaw of the Indianapolis Colts
The Colts reached the red zone 12 times over the first two weeks, more than any other team in the league. Unfortunately, they have only scored touchdowns on five of those trips and settled for field goals on the other seven. The result is the league's sixth-lowest red zone touchdown rate, converting just 42% of the time.
That means Indianapolis has left at least 28 points on the board. While the Colts haven’t been punished for their inefficiency yet, winning teams have to be clinical in the red zone. One missed opportunity could be the difference-maker in a close game.
The Week 2 matchup with the Denver Broncos almost turned into a disaster because of Indianapolis’ red zone struggles. Against Denver, the Colts were held to a field goal on four red zone drives. In the first quarter, they stalled twice early, allowing the Broncos to take an early lead.
Then, in the second half, they didn’t score a touchdown on any of their red zone possessions, surviving only because of the Indianapolis defense stepping up and a little penalty luck. The Colts can’t afford to waste touchdown chances, especially in games with razor-thin margins.
On paper, the Indianapolis offense looks tailor-made for the red zone. Jones is extremely comfortable throwing short-distance passes, the ground game is strong, and the pass-catchers are reliable. But something is clearly not working.
Jones’ completion percentage tanks from 71% overall to 33% in the red zone. The offensive line has been solid, only giving up two sacks so far, but both of those were on red zone drives. Even star running back Jonathan Taylor isn’t blameless — he’s averaging a modest 3.8 yards per red zone carry and has yet to record a rushing touchdown.
Despite moving the ball effortlessly across most of the field, the Colts’ offense just seems to stall in the red zone. Steichen and the team are aware of the problem and hope to improve that part of their game, but whether they can remains to be seen. Ultimately, a combination of better playcalling and execution will be needed.
The Indianapolis offense is riding high right now, but they shouldn't be complacent. If the Colts don’t fix their red zone issues, the team could get a wake-up call soon.