When the Colts are on defense
The numbers on the Colts' run defense through two weeks are, as linebacker Zaire Franklin put it, "ridiculous." But the Bears' rushing offense hasn't found much success yet this season either:
| Stat | Colts defense (NFL rank) | Bears offense (NFL rank) |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing yards/carry | 5.1 (28th) | 3.5 (29th) |
| Rushing yards/game | 237.0 (32nd) | 77.5 (28th) |
| Explosive (10+ yard) rushes | 15 (32nd) | 5 (20th) |
| First downs rushing | 24 (31st) | 9 (28th) |
| Average yards before contact | 1.6 (26th) | 0.7 (28th) |
| Average yards after contact | 3.5 (25th) | 2.2 (31st) |
| Success rate | 35.6% (25th) | 25.6% (25th) |
The Colts did find some solutions to their run defense in the second quarter and into the second half last weekend's 16-10 loss to Packers – Green Bay averaged 2.4 yards per rush over their final seven drives – and will look to carry those into Sunday's matchup with the Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"It's unacceptable," Franklin said. "It starts with myself. I have to be better. I gotta play better for this team. We figured it out in the second half, we're going to keep rolling with it moving forward through the rest of the season."
Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo said the Colts had a "look ourselves in the mirror moment" at halftime in Green Bay, and as that game went on they proved they indeed can stop the run. Now it's about avoiding a slow start and consistently limiting opposing teams' rushing offenses over 60 minutes.
"Just building off the fact that we're more than capable of stopping the run," Odeyingbo said. "We showed that through those quarters and through the half of that game, so it just comes down to putting together a full four quarters and stopping the run consistently throughout the rest of the season. That's something we know we can do."
As the Colts turned the page to a Bears offense that features plenty of receiving weapons – wide receivers D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze are the headliners there, if they all are healthy enough to play – they'll do so understanding stopping the run is the primary goal for Week 3. The risk if they can't slow down running backs D'Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert and/or Roschon Johnson is allowing 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams to settle into just his third NFL start.
"We've seen everything that he was able to do in college – huge respect," cornerback Kenny Moore II said. "But when it comes down to it, we gotta get after him, each series we gotta get after him. So just discourage him as much as possible and don't let him get going.
"... You gotta stop the run first. You gotta earn the right to rush the passer, you gotta earn the right to be able to get off on third down in the pass game."
When the Colts have the ball
Time of possession can be an overrated stat, but in the Colts' case, it's out of whack to a point they see it as a problem. Through two weeks, out of a possible 120 minutes of gameplay, the Colts have held the ball for 39 minutes and 49 seconds. In Week 1, it was 20:00. In Week 2, it was 19:49. Over the last five seasons, teams are 2-19 when possessing the ball for 20 or fewer minutes in a given game.
"Sometimes the time of possession, you don't want it to be too crazy," head coach Shane Steichen said. "But sometimes time of possession – you see teams that have it for 25 minutes, the other team has it for the other and they still win the football game. I think as long as you're scoring points and moving the football offensively, I think that helps for sure."
Ten of the Colts' 19 possessions through two weeks have lasted four or fewer plays – but three of those drives ended in touchdowns. Only the nuclear offense that's been the New Orleans Saints has more quick-strike touchdown drives (five) than the Colts this season. And, notably, the Colts are turning a given play into a first down or touchdown 32.3 percent of the time, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL – putting them on par with some of the league's best offenses, like the Kansas City Chiefs (33 percent), San Francisco 49ers (32.9 percent) and Buffalo Bills (32 percent).
The flip side is on those seven other possessions – which have ended in either a punt (five) or turnover (two) – the Colts have had the ball for an average of one minute and 28 seconds. For the Colts, having more extended drives while still generating score-from-anywhere explosive plays is a focus moving forward.
"It's an emphasis for us, it's an emphasis for us as a coaching staff," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "We've got to do a better job as a staff, sort of preparing to have (sustained drives) happen, to let that happen, to encourage that to happen. So as an offense, we're definitely looking to control the ball a little bit more efficiently there, which I think will help our whole team."
The challenge for the Colts on Sunday will be to generate both explosive plays and extended drives against a stingy Bears defense coached by ex-Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
Of the 26 drives the Bears' defense has faced, 11 lasted four or fewer plays and only one led to a score (a field goal in Week 1 that came after the Tennessee Titans recovered a muffed kickoff on the Bears' 23-yard line). The Bears have only allowed three touchdowns in 2024; two came on eight-play drives and one came on a 14-play drive. It's no surprise an Eberflus defense makes opposing offenses work their way down the field – limiting explosive plays was at the core of his philosophy over his four years as the Colts' defensive coordinator.
"We (saw) it last week," quarterback Anthony Richardson said. "We knew obviously (the Packers) weren't going to give us any big plays and the big shots. So, we've just got to find a way to make it work in our game and just do our offense and just play."
