The Colts’ loss to the Saints included three positives and three negatives.
The Indianapolis Colts were defeated 38-27 by the New Orleans Saints in their third consecutive game of the 2023 season on Sunday. This would also be the third consecutive game in which the Indianapolis defence would surrender 35 or more points. The Colts are currently 3-5 and look worse than they have all year. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the good and bad from the Colts’ loss to the Saints. Jonathan Taylor (95 yards running) and Zack Moss (66 yards rushing) did what they wanted against the Saints defence. They combined for 161 rushing yards on 23 carries at 7.0 yards per carry.
While head coach Shane Steichen’s ground game began to crumble in the second half, it did not begin that way. Taylor and Moss were wreaking havoc on the Saints’ defence. This was due to the fact that Indy was not down by a large margin and the momentum was with the running attack. Unfortunately, it fell out of sync in the second half. This is a must-have for the Colts, so it’s possible that’s why the offence eventually lost its rhythm. Although it was the lightest of the “bad” entrants, Indy ultimately relied on kicker Matt Gay for multiple points.
He converted all of his field goal tries (20 and 42 yards), but the Colts were unable to convert these drives into touchdowns before halftime. In the current NFL, the Colts cannot rely on their kicker. Gay is 8-of-9 on field goals in his last four games. While his kicking efficiency on the season (12-of-14 [85.7%]) is remarkable, 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 Indy’s running backs, resurgent offensive line, and first-half momentum for this offensive attack.
What’s next for the Colts? Don’t miss out on any breaking news or analysis! Sign up for our free newsletter to have breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox every day! While the Colts are two games under.500, it isn’t strictly due to their pass-catchers. This is unique to wide receivers. While Alec Pierce has yet to produce as a genuine WR3, he continues to block well in the run/screen game. On Sunday, however, he grabbed three balls for 41 yards (13.7 average).
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. 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. 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. 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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