The Indianapolis Colts' offense can only do so much. Let's be honest. As well as Daniel Jones has played so far in 2025, he might have reached the limit of his abilities, and the defense is going to have to be consistently good.
One might wonder if defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is capable of getting his unit to be very good. In the first three weeks of the season, Anarumo's scheme did not get much pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Something like Week 4 was bound to happen.
Indy's D always seemed a tick behind, and gave up easy receptions, or forgot that Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is strong-armed and smart. The Colts suffered numerous injuries to their cornerback group in the preseason, but had Charvarius Ward and Xavien Howard healthy. It didn't help, and nickelback Kenny Moore was missed, as he missed the game with an Achilles injury.
Indianapolis Colts made a bad decision making Lou Anarumo their defensive coordinator
Anarumo was always a weird choice of a hire. He was a safe one, though, and that is what general manager Chris Ballard appears to prefer. The odd part is that Anarumo has been a defensive coordinator in the NFL for seven years before joining Indianapolis, and in six of those seasons, Anarumo's units have ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in points allowed.
In five of his seasons, his defenses have ranked in the bottom half of the league in touchdown receptions allowed five times. He does not have a long history of success, but he keeps falling up.
TUTU TO THE HOUSE! 88 YARDS!
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 28, 2025
📺 @NFLonFOX | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/8XN2CgEBUH
Entering Week 4, the Indianapolis Colts defense ranked the pass rush pressure percentage was 20.8, which was 22nd in the NFL. Indy also led the league in missed tackles (157). According to ESPN, the pass-rush win rate ranked 29th and the run-stop win rate ranked 27th.
Quarterback Daniel Jones covered up a lot of sins by leading his offense to a high degree of efficiency. While not perfect, Indy's offense was good enough to win games, and the defense looked solid against bad offenses.
Against the Rams, LA scored at the end of the first half and drove 96 yards. In the fourth quarter, Indy couldn't stop them at the end. On the final play that mattered for the Rams offense, Indianapolis had 10 players on the field, the Rams were aware, and Stafford completed an 88-yard pass to a wide open Tutu Atwell for a touchdown.
Anarumo should have seen the play before it developed and called timeout at such an important time. Instead, his defense gave up 462 total yards, and 6.6 yards per play. Against a good offense with good players, Lou Anarumo completely failed.
The Rams weren't picking up chunk yards until it mattered most. The Colts' defense was able to keep Stafford and his offense somewhat under wraps, unless it really mattered.
That is the way Lou Anarumo's defenses work. He was able to get away with some of it with the Cincinnati Bengals because of the team's elite offensive talent. He was doing the same thing with Indy through three games because of Shane Steichen's scheme.
There is a reason Anarumo is no longer with the Bengals, however. Cincy knows its offense can win if its players stay healthy, but the Bengals know the defense needs to be better than it was under Anarumo. Sadly, the Indianapolis Colts are learning that lesson now and will continue to do so in the future.