The Indianapolis Colts entered Week 14 riding a four-game win streak. A big reason why the Colts were having so much success was the team’s pass rush. After a slow start to the season, young guys like Samson Ebukam, Kwity Paye, and Dayo Odeyingbo had been consistently getting after quarterbacks. During Indy’s streak, the team recorded 21 sacks over four games.
Entering Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, it was understood that the Colts would need their pass rush to have another productive day to win. The Bengals were starting an inexperienced Jake Browning, and to prevent him from getting the ball into the hands of Cincinnati’s dynamic playmakers, the Colts needed to keep him under pressure. Unfortunately, the pass rush failed miserably enroute to a 34-14 loss.
Indianapolis didn’t record a single sack. To make matters worse, this was the first Bengals game where they didn’t allow a single sack since Week 3 of the 2021 season.
Sunday was the first time since Week 3 of the 2021 season that the Bengals did not surrender a sack in a game, per ESPN Stats & Info.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) December 11, 2023
Colts pass rush didn’t show up against Bengals
According to the official box score, Indianapolis only had three quarterback hits. Those hits came from Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis, and Kwity Paye. Other than that, Browning was relatively comfortable in the pocket, giving him time to complete 18-of-24 passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns, and just one interception.
With just four weeks remaining in the regular season, while Indy is in the thick of a crowded playoff race, it’s not time for the team to have disappearing acts. That’s especially the case for the defensive line since it has developed into a strength for the Colts as of late. This is the time of the year where teams must rely on their strengths to win games.
The Colts winning games has alligned with the defensive line’s sack production. So if Indianapolis is going to finish the year strong and make the playoffs, the pass rush can’t go silent again like it did against the Bengals.