It’s no secret what type of offense Shane Steichen wants to run with the Indianapolis Colts. He is going to lean heavily on running back Jonathan Taylor. Through four games, Taylor is the leading rusher in the league.
He is tied for the second most carries, and his 5.4 yards-per-rush is a full two yards better than Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley, the only two backs who have run as many times as the Colts’ star.
In fact, if not for an unfortunate holding penalty on AD Mitchell last week, Taylor would most likely be the frontrunner for the Offensive Player of the Year at the season’s quarter pole.
Steichen has always built his offenses around the running game. In his first season as Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator, he directed the league’s top-ranked rushing attack. In Indianapolis, his rushing numbers have always outperformed his passing stats.
Indianapolis has a perfect matchup to exploit against the Raiders this week
After four weeks in 2025, Steichen and the Colts have begun to convince skeptics that they may just be for real. But a couple of big questions remain unanswered.
The first is a more global issue. Can an NFL team win big in 2025 without an elite passing game? The follow-up is more Steichen-centric. Can Shane Steichen design such a passing attack?
We have already seen how much more competent Daniel Jones appears playing behind a strong offensive line. We have already noted how the Colts have a budding superstar in rookie tight end Tyler Warren, and how they have the most balanced and complete set of receivers since the days of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.
What they now need to prove is that they can dominate a game through the air. There will be times when an opposing defense devotes everything it has to shutting down Taylor. When that happens, Jones, Warren, and his talented receivers will need to win the game.
That could be the scenario this week when the Las Vegas Raiders come to town.
The fact is, the Raiders are not very good right now. Their defense ranks in the bottom-third of the league In points and yards-allowed. They really only have one elite player in defensive end Maxx Crosby.
But they have been somewhat better against the run this season, ranking in the top half of the league in rushing yards and yards-per-attempt. You can bet that a defensive-minded veteran coach like Pete Carroll is going to focus his attention of slowing down Taylor. He is likely to challenge Steichen and Jones to beat him through the air.
The Raiders do have some other talented players after Crosby and their entire defense can be summed up by looking at one of them. Strong safety Jeremy Chinn was a big-ticket free agent acquisition this off-season. Chinn is an outstanding in-the-box safety. Playing near the line, either in run support or short-area coverage, he is one of the best safeties in the league. Get him in space and he struggles far more.
The Colts cannot simply abandon Taylor and the run. But this is the week where their star back may serve as more of a decoy. They should be luring Chinn near the line and then trying to spring receivers over the top. His partner at safety, Isaiah Pola Mao, is currently rated as the second-worst coverage safety in the entire league.
Statistically, the Raiders have played opposing tight ends well this season. But they have not faced anyone with the speed of Tyler Warren yet. He should be in for a big day.
The Raiders cornerbacks – Eric Stokes and Kyu Blu Kelly – have been average thus far and Stokes is dealing with a bad knee. They have not been forced to rely on backup Darnay Holmes very much but that could change this week.
Alec Pierce may return after missing last week to challenge the Raiders’ secondary deep while Micheal Pittman and Josh Downs work the shorter routes.
Even with Crosby, the Raiders have had trouble harassing opposing quarterbacks this season. Their overall pressure rate of 18.8% ranks near the bottom of the league, despite blitzing around a league-average 26.8% of the time.
All these numbers add up to a big day for Jones and the passing game on Sunday. If Shane Steichen can pull this off, it will simply add one more dimension about which future opponents will need to worry.
If he doesn’t manage it, it will simply add to the questions about whether Shane Steichen will ever be able to design a potent passing attack.