The Colts' secondary will be immediately tested to open the 2024 season with the Houston Texans. But they won't take that test – against C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell – alone.
"As a front we gotta take advantage of our opportunities to relieve some pressure off the back end," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "And obviously, if the quarterback can't throw the ball, they don't have to have any worries."
The Colts enter the 2024 season believing their young defensive backs – cornerbacks Jaylon Jones, JuJu Brents and Dallis Flowers, and safeties Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II – have the ability and mentality to be starters in the NFL. But the Colts also built their roster with an emphasis on collapsing pockets and getting after quarterbacks with a talented, deep defensive line.
And consistent pressure – whether a play ends with a sack or not – has a significant impact on how opposing quarterbacks operate. Stroud's stats when pressured vs. not pressured last year are one way to think about that difference (numbers via PFF):
| C.J. Stroud (2023) | Dropbacks | Yards/attempt | Completion% | Passer rating | Turnover-worthy play% | Avg. depth of target | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure | 194 (13th) | 6.0 (20th) | 52% (7th) | 77.2 (8th) | 4.6% (18th) | 9.8 (22nd) | 3 (22nd) |
| No pressure | 368 (14th) | 9.2 (2nd) | 68.8% (28th) | 110.6 (5th) | 1.6% (6th) | 9.3 (2nd) | 20 (8th) |
While Stroud did some good things while under pressure as a rookie – he didn't throw a single interception on those 194 dropbacks – he was sacked 38 times (T-7th most in the NFL) and wasn't the sort of explosive play merchant he proved to be when not pressured.
And for the Colts' defense, here's how pressure up front changed things on the back end in 2023 (parentheses is NFL rank):
| Colts' defense (2023) | Yards/attempt allowed | Explosive (15+ yard) plays allowed | Passer rating allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure | 5.2 (7th) | 16 (3rd) | 54.1 (3rd) |
| No pressure | 8.1 (27th) | 80 (30th) | 100.0 (16th) |
The Colts all offseason talked about improving their pressure rate – which, despite 51 sacks, was 26th in the NFL (32.3 percent) in 2023 – and these numbers show why that's such an important directive.
"We've got to get those guys rushing the quarterback," head coach Shane Steichen said. "Obviously, C.J. Stroud is a hell of a football player. We've got to get pressure on him, for sure. But I feel good about our corners. I feel good about the safeties. Those guys are going to go compete and go make plays and if we get the rush there and we've got tight coverage, it's going to help on the back end for sure."
This doesn't mean Stroud will crumble every time he's pressured or that the Colts' defensive backs can get away with being disorganized – Stroud, with Buckner in his face, still ripped a 75-yard touchdown to an open Collins on Houston's first offensive play of Week 18 last season.
But over the course of Sunday afternoon, the more consistent pressure the Colts' front is able to generate on Stroud, the less pressure it'll put on their secondary.
"We're a different line this year and I feel like guys got better in the offseason," Buckner said. "And we know we've got to take advantage of our opportunities."
