The Indianapolis Colts are entering Week 9 on a three game losing streak. One of the reasons Indy is 3-5 after eight games is because the defense has been struggling. What was once a solid unit is now seeing the effects of some offseason losses. The Colts have struggled to stop the run and have been especially bad against the pass. It also doesn’t help that the offense has frequently turned the ball over, putting the defense in tough spots.
Indianapolis will try to get things turned around in Week 9 against a struggling Carolina Panthers team. Even if Indy does have a good day defensively on Sunday, it won’t change the fact that Indianapolis has been one of the worst defensive teams this season.
Let’s take a look at how the Colts compare to the rest of the NFL by points allowed per game entering Week 9.
NFL standings ordered by points allowed per game
1. Baltimore Ravens: 15.1
2. Kansas City Chiefs: 16.1
3. Buffalo Bills: 17.0
4. Dallas Cowboys: 17.1
5. San Francisco 49ers: 17.5
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 18.3
7. Houston Texans: 18.3
8. New York Jets: 18.4
9. New Orleans Saints: 19.3
10. Jacksonville Jaguars: 19.5
11. Seattle Seahawks: 19.7
12. Cleveland Browns: 19.9
13. Tennessee Titans: 20.0
14. Atlanta Falcons: 20.1
15. Minnesota Vikings: 20.3
16. Cincinnati Bengals: 20.6
17. Detroit Lions: 20.6
18. Pittsburgh Steelers: 21.0
19. Philadelphia Eagles: 21.5
20. Green Bay Packers: 22.3
21. Los Angeles Rams: 23.0
22. Las Vegas Raiders: 23.4
23. New York Giants: 23.4
24. Los Angeles Chargers: 24.0
25. Miami Dolphins: 25.5
26. New England Patriots: 26.0
27. Arizona Cardinals: 26.6
28. Chicago Bears: 27.3
29. Denver Broncos: 28.3
30. Carolina Panthers: 28.4
31. Washington Commanders: 28.5
32. Indianapolis Colts: 28.6
As you can see, Indianapolis has the worst scoring defense in the NFL, giving up 28.6 points a game. As stated, turnovers certainly contribute to that but the defense has underwhelmed on its own as well. The Colts are also allowing 371.3 yards a game, fifth-worst in the league. With an elite offense on the other side of the ball, Indy’s ceiling as a team this season will come down to whether the defense can figure things out or not.