Colts defense covered up an underwhelming day for Indy’s offense in Week 9 win

The Indianapolis Colts are now 4-5 after defeating the Carolina Panthers 27-13 on Sunday. Entering the game, the Colts were on a three-game losing streak. During the streak, Indy’s defense had been abysmal, giving up nearly 40 points a game and struggling against the run and the pass. The offense, however, had been pretty productive, with the exception of costly turnovers.

On Sunday against the Panthers, the roles were reversed. It was the Colts defense that won the game, more specifically, Kenny Moore II. Moore had two pick sixes, putting on a show with his family in attendance. However, the final score makes way for people to overlook an underwhelming day from Indy’s offense.

Colts offense struggled against the Panthers

Entering the game, everyone assumed this could be a big day for Indy’s offense. Indianapolis had been one of the most productive units offensively and the Panthers had given up a lot of points. Additionally, Carolina was pretty bad against the run and that was Indy’s strength. It seemed like the perfect recipe for an offensive explosion.

In reality, the offense scored just one touchdown and had two other drives that ended in field goals. The Colts ran the ball 30 times for only 78 yards, had just 198 total yards, punted five times, and was 4-of-13 on third down. The only good news is that the offense didn’t turn the ball over. Still, it was pretty shocking to see the offense stall out the way it did on Sunday.

In fairness to the offense, the defensive touchdowns did take away a couple of series and Josh Downs also missed the majority of the game. Additionally, Panthers head coach Frank Reich, who’s pretty familiar with the Colts and Shane Steichen, admitted that he would help Carolina’s defense figure out a way to contain Jonathan Taylor.

Even with all of those factors, you’d hope the offense would find a way to get things rolling. The Colts will try to get back on track offensively in Frankfurt, Germany, where they take on the New England Patriots.

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