Film Room: Colts' Run Defense Must Step-Up Against the Patriots

The Colts' run defense has been a dominant force for the past few years. However, they have struggled a bit in recent weeks. For the Colts to beat the Patriots, they have to be able to stop the run.

The Indianapolis Colts have traditionally had one of the better run defenses in the league under Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus. While they are still having a strong year overall in 2021, the last few games have been a bit worrisome in this department.

Three of the Colts' past four opponents have rushed for over five yards a carry against this defense. The biggest letdown came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 12, as they allowed 137 yards rushing and four touchdowns to the Bucs' running backs.

With a big match-up on the horizon, the Colts have to figure out a way to right the ship in this regard. So, in today's film room, I dive into the Colts' recent struggles and how the Patriots are likely to attack this defense.

Colts' Run Defense Woes

To preface any argument I am going to make, I do believe that the Colts are a good defense at stopping the run. They are currently ranked fifth according to Football Outsider's DVOA ranking in stopping the run and have typically been a great unit in this regard. 

However, here is what Matt Eberflus had to say about the run defense of late in his latest press conference:

I think that you have to look at that every single week and we need to do a better job. We need to focus on playing our technique, playing fundamentals and I think that’s really across the board with d-line, linebackers and the secondary. So, we just have to keep working at it and paying attention to detail as we work through this week and then going forward because it’s going to be important. It’s going to be important for all of us to be able to play the run the correct way. So, that’s what we’re looking at.

The issues have primarily come in recent weeks against pass-heavy teams. Looking at the game against the Buccaneers, the Bucs were able to catch the Colts a few times in nickel personnel. Now this isn't unusual, since nickel is the Colts' base defense, but it does make the numbers game a bit harder up front.

Another reason for some of the struggles in this game is that the Bucs did a great job of using the Colts' aggressiveness against them. This play below is a perfect example. The Bucs run an inside trap play, which throws off the keys of the linebackers.

Darius Leonard and Bobby Okereke read the pulling left guard, and naturally flow to the side that the pulling guard is presumably moving towards. However, this is just an inside trap play, as the guard is moving to block the interior defensive tackle in the middle.

The result is the linebackers being way out of position and only Andrew Sendejo left to try and fill against Leonard Fournette (which is not a great match-up for the Colts).

The Colts are a highly aggressive defense that is predicated on shooting gaps and disrupting plays in the backfield. Running straight into this defense, especially with Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner inside, is simply moronic.

Attacking the outside, however, can find some success. With how the Colts like to shoot downhill, getting the ball out on the corner can catch the Colts out of position.

On this play below, it is just a simple outside hand-off to the running back. Leonard crashes inside while Okereke spills to take on the lead blockers. Once the back gets to the second-level, Sendejo comes down from his safety spot with an aggressive run fit to the inside.

This play breaks wide open when Xavier Rhodes fails to contain the outside edge on the run. He loses that contain, and Matt Breida is able to turn up field for a huge gain.

So, where do the Colts struggle the most in run defense? On misdirection runs and runs that threaten the edges. The Colts are a fast defense, but their aggressive and disruptive style leads them susceptible to these types of runs.

This run for the Jaguars hits big because Isaac Rochell crashes down too quickly on the outside. He loses his contain as the backside defensive end, and the result is a huge gain for the Jaguars on the misdirection run.

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How the Patriots Will Attack

Luckily, the Patriots seem to be a power-run type of team off of film study. They like utilizing heavy-sets and getting their running backs downhill behind their great offensive line. Their overall rushing attack has been solid this season, ranking ninth in the NFL according to DVOA.

Colts' linebacker Bobby Okereke on the Patriots run game:

Yeah, they’ve got a good amount of mixers in there. Running wham, trap, counter, power – so, traditional runs. Really, I guess for me and linebackers, having our eyes right, playing downhill and being a more aggressive, physical team.

While they do like to attack the interior, they have their fair share of rushing plays that threaten the outside. One of their favorite ways to do this is lining up in I-formation and short tossing to the outside.

This play was the run that hit big against the Buffalo Bills a few weeks prior. The Bills' defense over-pursued to the outside, which left the cutback lane open for the long touchdown.

This play is also a killer in the redzone. It is a great design that shows a heavy personnel while also attacking the outside edges. The Colts have to create early disruption and trust their reads in order to slow down this type of play.

Final Thoughts

The Colts have a good run defense, despite being a bit leaky in recent weeks. They have the personnel to completely shut down the Patriots' rushing attack, but it is going to take a complete team effort to do so.

I expect the Patriots to come into this game with a gameplan filled with misdirection and outside runs. That ultimately means that stopping this rushing attack will come down to how the Colts' linebackers and defensive backs perform in their run fits.

This is going to be a hard-fought, physical game on both sides. For the Colts to come out on top, they have to come ready to shut down this Patriots' run game and force them to be one-dimensional.

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