The Colts went into Week 6 knowing they'd be without the following players, all of whom are on injured reserve:
- Defensive end Samson Ebukam
- Cornerback JuJu Brents
- Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner
- Defensive end Tyquan Lewis
- Right guard Will Fries
Those five players combined to start 69 games since the beginning of the 2023 season.
On Friday, the Colts ruled out running back Jonathan Taylor (ankle), and listed as questionable a handful more players for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium
- Quarterback Anthony Richardson (oblique)
- Wide receiver Josh Downs (toe)
- Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back)
- Right tackle Braden Smith (knee, ankle)
- Cornerback Kenny Moore II (hip, shoulder)
While there's some good news here – center Ryan Kelly and defensive end Kwity Paye do not have game status designations, clearing the way for them to play Sunday – even if everyone who's questionable plays Sunday, the Colts will still be depleted.
And the Colts aren't just without starters, they're without star players like Buckner and Taylor. And they aren't just turning to backups; in some cases, they're digging deep into their roster to find guys to fill in.
But the thing with the NFL: These injuries cannot be treated as an excuse for losing games.
"The reality is," linebacker Zaire Franklin said, "the other team does not care who you don't have out there."
What's staring the Colts in the face more than these injuries is an 0-2 record in the AFC South. It's not a coincidence the last two times the Colts had a winning record in their division (4-2 in both 2018 and 2020) were the last two times this team made the playoffs.
It's also not impossible to make the playoffs with a .500 or worse record against divisional opponents – the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns in 2023 went 3-3 against the AFC North and still made it into the postseason – but it's an exception to a rule of the NFL.
The Colts lost their first two divisional games by a total of five points: A 29-27 home loss to the Houston Texans in Week 1, and a 37-34 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend at EverBank Stadium. Both games were sealed when the Colts' defense was unable to make a stop after the two-minute warning, with the Texans running out the clock and the Jaguars hitting a game-winning field goal with under 20 seconds left.
"Any time you feel like you didn't play the way you want to, the quick cure is to get out there again," Franklin said. "So honestly just can't wait to get out there and prove ourselves again against the Titans knowing it's a big one – we're down two in the division, so it's important that we get this one on the road."
When the Colts have the ball
The Colts are still in wait-and-see mode with Richardson, Pittman and Downs – three of the team's most important players on offense.
Whoever is on the field, though, will face a stiff challenge from a Titans defense that enters Week 6 near the top of the NFL in several telling statistics:
| Stat | # | NFL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Yards/game | 243.8 | 1 |
| Yards/play | 4.39 | 3 |
| Rushing yards/play | 4.24 | 10 |
| Passing yards/game | 124.0 | 1 |
| Passing yards/play | 4.96 | 2 |
| First downs allowed/game | 14.0 | 1 |
| Third down conversion rate | 27.45% | 2 |
| Red zone touchdown rate | 42.86% | 7 |
| Touchdowns allowed | 6 | T-2 |
First-year Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson spent time with Steichen on the Philadelphia Eagles' coaching staff in 2021 and 2022.
"You look at what they have on defense – shoot, they're tops in a lot of categories defensively right now," Steichen said. "I've got a lot of respect for Dennard."
When the Colts are on defense
The Colts' defense, collectively, issued a challenge to itself this week after allowing 37 points – and three plays of 60 or more yards – in last weekend's loss to the Jaguars.
"It's more about who we want to be," Franklin said. "Are we gonna be the defense that was stout against Pittsburgh and Chicago, or are we gonna be the defense that's letting people have career highs every week. So we gotta make that decision internally, together."
Franklin, though, acknowledged this challenge won't matter if it isn't met on Sunday against the Titans.
"It's not about promise," Franklin said. "It's about action."
The Colts defense enters Week 6 having allowed the most plays of 40 or more yards in the NFL (six). They're 25th in points per game allowed (24.4) and are the only team in the NFL allowing over 400 yards per game (419.2).
Among the Colts' issues on defense has been tackling – they've missed the fifth-most tackles in the NFL (62) though they're more middle of the road on a per-play basis (their missed tackle rate is 14 percent, 17th in the NFL). Still: This is a problem the Colts' defense knows it has to fix.
"First and foremost is tackle," Franklin said. "... I think a lot of it is just relentlessness. A lot of it is effort from all 11 guys. Sometimes there's no such thing as a missed tackle if you take a tackle with leverage and acceleration because you're taking your and slowing them down, and if the other 10 guys are hunting, then he should be down. It's on all of us. It's not just on whoever may have missed a tackle or have a good play. We're all supposed to have each other's back out there. That's how defense is supposed to play."
As defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has sough solutions to generating more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and limiting back-breaking explosive plays, he's done so with confidence in the group of players at his disposal – no matter how many reserves may be called upon in a given week.
"I think it starts with our players," Bradley said. "We believe in our players, and we know that we can get it done and we can keep these points down. That's our whole objective. I mean, are you going to eliminate explosive plays, keep the points down, give your offense a chance to get the ball many times and score some points? We have faith in our group. We have faith in our coaching staff that we can get it done."
The Titans have struggled on offense this year – they're 30th in yards per play (4.34), 29th on third down (29.66 percent conversion rate) and are tied for the most giveaways in the NFL (nine) despite already having had their bye week. Quarterback Will Levis – who will start Sunday – leads the NFL with six interceptions, and Titans quarterbacks (backup Mason Rudolph played the majority of the Titans' Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins after Levis exited with a shoulder injury) have the second-highest sack rate in the NFL (13.9 percent).
But while the Titans' offense has its issues, so has the Colts' defense. And whether the Colts were facing a struggling offense or the 2007 New England Patriots this weekend, the mission would be the same.
"At this point, there's no more apologies," Franklin said. "Just change behaviors."
