After the Indianapolis Colts' impressive Week 1 destruction of the Miami Dolphins, several pundits (yep, that would include me) warned that the Week 2 opponent, the Denver Broncos, would provide a much sterner test of Indy’s new offense.
Well, Daniel Jones and company passed that test, putting up 29 points en route to a victory over one of the best defenses in the NFL. Now, after having their way with the undermanned Tennessee Titans last week, history is repeating itself. The Los Angeles Rams, Indy’s Week 4 opponent, has a much tougher defense than the one the Colts encountered in Nashville.
Will the clock strike midnight for Shane Steichen’s crew, or will they continue to prove the doubters wrong and extend what may be the most surprising story in the first month of the 2025 season? Much of the answer to that question will depend on a few key matchups up front.
Indianapolis Colts edge protectors need to be at their absolute best against the LA Rams
The Rams are one of the best pass-rushing teams in the NFL. Indy can take some solace in the fact that they already defeated one of the other best in Denver, but there are a couple of factors that will make this weekend’s test a little different.
First, the Colts will be on the road. SoFi Stadium has not exactly been a feared venue for visiting teams, but it is always easier for an offensive line to play at home, where crowd noise is not a factor. That could be especially important on Sunday, considering that the Rams boast two elite edge rushers who both get off the ball like lightning. Any delay from Indy’s tackles could prove disastrous.
Second, part of what makes Denver so difficult to block is the array of different blitz schemes they employ. Denver blitzes more than any team in the league. The Rams don’t. They rely much more heavily on their talented front four to generate pressure.
Because their rotating cast of lineman is so effective on their own, when they do indeed blitz – which they do around the league average – they tend to be very effective.
How effective? Through three games, the Rams are tied with Denver for the league lead in sacks with 12. What’s more, those sacks have come from eight different players. More than half the teams in the league do not even have eight total sacks for the year, including the Colts.
The Rams can hit you from all over. They have powerful interior linemen like Kobie Turner and Poona Ford who can collapse the pocket. Jaylen McCollough and Kamren Curl can come from the secondary, and Nathan Landman can roam all over from his linebacker spot.
But dealing with the Rams pass rush starts with its two dynamic edge rushers. Last season’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse is among the best young pass rushers in the league. His opposite number, Byron Young, already has four sacks through three games this year. Indy tackles Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith had better be ready for a full sixty minutes of war on Sunday.
Smith, in particular, needs to step up to the task. The Rams will flip their two dynamic edges depending on the situation and package, but it seems to me that every time I see one of them blowing up a quarterback, he is coming from the left side of the defense. That means the offense’s right tackle – Smith – will be under attack.
Steichen and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter will no doubt give Smith some help on key downs, but that only goes so far. Given how many quality rushers LA can throw at an opponent, and given that Indy does not want to be proactively limiting its offensive weapons, there will be a lot of plays where Smith and the rest of the line will have to win one-on-one battles against some outstanding defenders.
Daniel Jones is no stranger to pressure. He faced it all the time while with the New York Giants. And his play suffered accordingly. No quarterback can thrive when he is constantly being bombarded from all sides. Jones will be able to help himself by getting the ball out of his hands quickly, especially to rookie tight end Tyler Warrne and slot receiver Josh Downs on rhythm throws.
Jones will also be able to slow down the attack from those edge rushers if he can break contain early on and make a play or two with his legs.
Jones will be able to help himself and the coaching staff will be able to help as well, but much of the success of Indy’s offense come Sunday will hinge on how well Raimann and Smith – especially Smith – will stand up to Verse and Young.
And in case that wasn’t a big enough challenge, LA will probably have its 2024 leading sack man, Braden Fiske, going full speed on Sunday. Amazingly, Fiske, who has been dealing with an injury over the past two weeks, is not one of the eight Rams to have registered a sack this season. Hopefully, he will not get his first on Sunday.