The Indianapolis Colts defensive game plan against the Houston Texans was to play with lighter boxes to provide additional help for the secondary. Texans’ running back Joe Mixon then took full advantage.
Gus Bradley said the Colts lightened the box in order to handle the Texans' three star receivers and they wound up putting too much emphasize on coverage over run fits. The dam broke late.
Like the defensive players, Bradley was shocked by quite how much it broke.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) September 10, 2024
Mixon finished the game rushing for 159 yards at 5.3 yards per rush. As an offense, the Texans rushed for 213 yards, helping them dominate the time of possession as well.
Lighter boxes, as it suggests, comes with fewer players near the line of scrimmage, resulting in more space for the ball carrier to operate in and the opportunity for blockers to get to the second level.
Coming into the game, the Colts had to pick their poison, to a degree. With question marks in the secondary and the Texans boasting a trio of receivers that included Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell, Bradley opted to offer additional help on the back end.
Had the Colts chosen to emphasize limiting the run game, now there are more situations where the cornerbacks are left on an island. In general, it’s a tough situation to be in.
Now, that of course, doesn’t excuse the Colts’ play in the run game, even with lighter boxes. As Bradley also mentioned, he was surprised at how much the Colts struggled in that regard.
Whether any adjustments on Bradley’s part would have worked remains an unknown, but at some point if a team is continually running it right at you for five yards a pop, you have to try something new.
The combination of Mixon and the Texans receivers are going to allow that offense to really stress opposing defenses. If you try to take away one, the other can hurt you.
This upcoming game for the Colts will present another difficult challenge in that respect. Although the Packers will be without Jordan Love, they feature Josh Jacobs at running back, who averaged over 5.0 yards per rush in Week 1, and a group of tight ends and receivers–eight in total–who could get the ball at just about any moment.
