3 Good, 3 Bad from Colts' Loss to Saints

The Indianapolis Colts fell to the New Orleans Saints in a second-half collapse on Sunday afternoon in Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Indianapolis Colts lost their third-straight contest of the 2023 season on Sunday, 38-27, to the New Orleans Saints. This would also mark the third consecutive game where the Indy defense would allow 35-plus points.

The Colts now showcase a 3-5 record and look worse than they have all year. With this in mind, it’s time to review the good and bad from the Colts’ losing effort against the Saints.

The Good: Running Back Success

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On the day, Jonathan Taylor (95 rushing yards) and Zack Moss (66 rushing yards) did what they wanted against the Saints' defense. Between the two, they averaged 7.0 yards per carry on 23 carries for 161 rushing yards.

While the ground game started to fall apart in the second half for head coach Shane Steichen, it sure didn’t start that way.

Taylor and Moss were having their way with the Saints' defense. This was because Indy wasn’t down multiple scores and the momentum was with the running attack. Unfortunately, it lost its rhythm in the second half. This is a must for the Colts to establish, so it could be why the offense ended up losing its flow inevitably.

The Bad: Finishing Drives with Touchdowns

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It’s probably the lightest of the "bad" entries, but ultimately, Indy relied on kicker Matt Gay for multiple scores.

He hit both of his field goal attempts (20 and 42 yards), but the Colts couldn’t punch in these drives for touchdowns before halftime.

The Colts can’t lean on their kicker in the modern NFL. Through the last four games, Gay is 8-of-9 on field goals. While his kicking efficiency (12-of-14 [85.7%]) on the season is impressive, it isn’t how you win games in professional football.

This could be chalked up to the "Anthony Richardson helps this issue" argument, but it’s also a bit unacceptable given the running backs that Indy has alongside their resurging offensive line and the first-half momentum that both had for this offensive attack.

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The Good: Wide Receivers

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While the Colts may be two games below .500, it isn’t necessarily a reflection on their pass-catchers. This is specific to the wide receivers.

While Alec Pierce is still yet to produce as a true WR3, he’s still blocking at a high level in the run/screen game. However, on Sunday, he caught 3 balls for 41 yards (13.7 avg.).

Michael Pittman Jr. (8 catches for 40 yards and 1 TD) and Josh Downs (7 catches for 72 yards) continued to show out as truly reliable passing options for Gardner Minshew. Downs is still proving to be a threat out of the slot, but Pittman was also targeted 13 times by Minshew.

These receivers continue to display that they are trending upward and running with Steichen’s offense just fine. It’s not easy to shine in a winning effort when your defensive counterparts let up so many points.

The Bad: Containing Saints Playmakers

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Saints running back Alvin Kamara, along with wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, made Indy’s defense look bad on Sunday afternoon.

On the day, Kamara underwhelmed with just 59 rushing yards but made up for it with 4 catches for 51 yards and a TD. Olave tacked on a team-high 5 catches for 46 yards (9 targets) as well.

However, it was Shaheed that was a grenade to the Colts’ defense. He caught just 3 passes but for an insane 153 yards (51.0 avg.) and a touchdown.

If this kind of receiving impact occurs, it forces any NFL defense to push their corners and safeties back, allowing other things to potentially happen for the opposing offense. This doomed the Colts, allowing Shaheed’s game-breaking speed to control their defensive gameplan.

The Good: Tight End Drew Ogletree

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Colts tight end Drew Ogletree is essentially in his rookie year after missing all of 2022 (ACL). What he’s done is prove two things. First, he can block with the best of the NFL tight ends, which he continued in spades against the Saints, especially in the ground game.

However, he’s also shown an innate ability to make big catches when they matter.

In the fourth quarter, Ogletree made a fantastic grab for a 33-yard touchdown from a roll-out by Minshew. This pulled Indy within 8 points of the Saints.

While this would be Ogletree’s sole contribution in the passing game, he’s shown to be the biggest all-around talent, minus Jelani Woods (Injured Reserve), that the Colts currently have active at tight end.

The Bad - The Colts Pass Defense

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Overall, the Colts’ secondary left a lot to be desired from the contest against the Saints.

They let up 350 passing yards on the afternoon, along with 2 touchdown passes and no turnovers. But, it was the Shaheed vs. Tony Brown matchup that stood out. While it’s not all on Brown, he still struggled epically against Shaheed’s speed. In fact, Saints QB Derek Carr often peppered Brown with targets, and it paid off.

Shaheed had a field day with massive plays and caught 100% of his targets on his way to decimating Indy’s chances of winning.

This nasty performance from the cornerbacks may prompt an emergency free-agent signing from general manager Chris Ballard to ensure this doesn’t happen in the next game against the lowly Carolina Panthers (1-6). However, it might not occur given Ballard’s conservative approach to adding free agents mid-season.

We’ll see what happens, but it’s Indianapolis’ key weakness defensively. Look for NFL offenses to attack this weak point for the Colts until prompted to do otherwise.

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