The Indianapolis Colts headed into week eight against the Kansas City Chiefs needing a win to get to a .500 record. A 30-14 loss to the Chiefs highlighted some of the Colts biggest weaknesses. After an injury to Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, backup Nick Foles took over and played great. Foles passed for 223 yards and two touchdowns, with no turnovers. The victory moved the Chiefs to 5-2 on the season, while the Colts moved to 3-5. Now let’s take a look at the Indianapolis Colts week eight takeaways.
Indianapolis Colts Week Eight Takeaways
The Offensive Line is Struggling Mightily
Quarterback Andrew Luck was sacked six times, in what was an all-around struggle for the Colts offense yesterday. Furthermore, they had trouble making room for Frank Gore, with only 37 rushing yards on the game. It started to look like the offensive line had made progress in week seven against the Tennessee Titans. However, Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford had a field day with 3.5 sacks on the game. Luck has been sacked 31 times this season, six more than Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, who has been sacked the second most times in the NFL. If the Colts want to be able to right the ship and make a push to win the AFC South, the offensive line is going to need to see miraculous progress soon.
The Defense is Still Not Very Good
The Colts defense got torched by a backup quarterback in the second half. Foles had his way with the Colts secondary. Cornerback Vontae Davis had to leave the game in the second quarter with concussion-like symptoms, according to FOX 59. The Colts had trouble all game covering tight end Travis Kelce and running back/receiver Tyreek Hill, who combined for more than 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Even though the Colts got three sacks, they only had a combined loss of 16 yards. With the injuries still piling up on defense, the Colts immediate future does not look too promising.
Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano are on the Hot Seat
Head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson have taken a lot of fire for the Colts poor performance this season. The Colts are struggling to contend in one of the worst divisions in the NFL. Some of the Colts biggest flaws have shown little to no improvement. Considering it is the halfway point of the season, this is especially concerning. According to ESPN’s Mike Wells, the blame shouldn’t all fall on Pagano and Grigson. Injuries and questionable plays by Colts players have hurt them all season.
However, Pagano and Grigson have been far from perfect. Both have failed to prepare the offensive line and defense to play their vital roles needed for success this season. The Colts were thoroughly beat on both sides of the ball against the Chiefs, and that should be a huge wake up call to the front office. Saying either Pagano or Grigson or both should be fired right now is jumping the gun. Yet, if the Colts performance on the field does not improve, then their job security should be brought into question this offseason.
Up Next
The Indianapolis Colts travel to Green Bay, WI, to take on the Packers this Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT. The Colts will look to improve to 4-5 on the season, where the Packers come into the game at 4-3.
