Maybe the matchup for the Indianapolis Colts versus the Los Angeles Rams was simply not a good one for Indy's offensive line. Quarterback Daniel Jones was under pressure on 45.7 percent of his dropbacks, after all. He also had a weakened offensive line.
Starting right guard Matt Goncalves missed the game with a toe injury. Maybe he will be fine for Week 5, but having an O-lineman with a bad toe could linger. That's a real problem, and one that could pop up the rest of the season.
In Goncalves' place, Dalton Tucker allowed five pressures, received an astonishingly low pass-block grade of 7.9 from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and he was penalized once. Tucker was basically a rotating door for Rams rushers to pass through.
Indianapolis Colts might have a problem brewing along the interior of the offensive line
Head coach Shane Steichen trusting Tucker to remain as Goncalves' backup would seem misplaced. Indianapolis is unlikely to sign a free agent guard because the quality simply isn't there to make much of a difference. The answer could already be on the team.
Josh Sills is currently the presumed backup at left guard, but he does have right guard experience in the NFL. Maybe it's not much (19 snaps in 2023), but any experience is better than the production Tucker had versus the Rams. Plus, if Sills, who is on the practice squad, can play left guard, then he could probably move over two spots and be just fine in a pinch.
The real problem might be that if Goncalves continues to have toe issues, no matter who plays right guard, they might struggle. That means that the Indianapolis offensive line, a good unit when everyone is fully healthy, could be far less effective than it otherwise would be.
One of the roster errors that general manager Chris Ballard made ahead of the season was not having enough quality depth along the interior of the offensive line. The backups aren't supposed to be as good as the starters, of course, but it would be nice if they had some positive experience.
The somewhat good news is that Daniel Jones was pretty good under pressure against the Los Angeles Rams. When under duress, Jones completed 12 of 14 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. When given a clean pocket, Danny Dimes was just 12 of 19 for 81 yards and two interceptions.
Still, expecting Jones to keep being great under pressure is expecting too much. The Indianapolis Colts might need to make a trade for an interior offensive lineman, even if that player is expected to be a backup.