The Indianapolis Colts secured their first win of the season last week against the Chicago Bears and are now looking to build upon that performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s been an up-and-down showing from the Colts’ offense through three weeks, and finding success in Week 4 won’t come easy against a very stingy Steelers defense that is giving up only 8.7 points per game.
However, if the Colts are going to move the ball and find a way to put up points, here are three keys to doing so this Sunday:
Stay committed to the run
Between Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson, the two carried the ball 28 times last week, 23 of which belonged to Taylor. Unlike in the previous week, there was a concerted effort to lean on the run game.
Obviously, playing with a lead helps, but this needs to be the blueprint going forward. A strong run game sets up shot down-and-distances and can open up opportunities in the passing game.
That task this week, however, will be much easier said than done against a Steelers defense that is allowing just 3.5 yards per carry–the second-fewest in football. Yards won’t come easy, but the Colts’ can’t become one-dimensional and predictable in the passing game either, particularly against a front featuring TJ Watt.
Be competitive in time of possession battle
This is one of those underlying stats that the Colts have been dominated in for three weeks and it makes winning football games extremely difficult.
With such a massive discrepancy in the time of possession battle, it allows the Colts opponents to run way more plays, wearing down the Indianapolis defense and forcing the offense to be extremely efficient, which just isn’t sustainable.
The run-heavy Steelers will enter this game ranked second in time of possession on offense, while the Colts rank last. If the Steelers control the ball by a wide-margin, winning this game becomes very difficult for the Colts.
Some consistency in the short to intermediate passing games
I believe I had this as a key last week, and it’s going to remain one until the Colts find some sort of stability in this regard. The struggles in these parts of the field through the air have made it quite challenging to sustain drives, which contributes to the time of possession issue.
While hitting on big plays is great, as we’ve seen, from a sustainability standpoint, that can’t be a passing game’s only method for moving the ball either. Improving here will take everyone, including improved accuracy from Richardson, play calling from Shane Steichen, and more help from the pass-catchers.
