LOS ANGELES — The Indianapolis Colts have captured something intangible. Overlooked in the offseason and now 3-0 with one of the best offenses in the NFL, they arrive in Inglewood with a certain indescribable magic about them ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Rams.
“It can be a really powerful thing,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “That’s why you look at the tape. The tape tells you the story. You know how good of coaches that they have and how good some of the personnel is. They have some young guys that have really done a great job and some other players that have been excellent that look rejuvenated and are playing at a high clip. It’s a great challenge for us coming in here.”
Colts head coach Shane Steichen has found something in castaway quarterback Daniel Jones. Using the threat of running back Jonathan Taylor, the Colts run the second-most play action in the NFL – behind only the Rams – and Jones is using those slow-developing plays to push the ball downfield to big-bodied targets like wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and tight end Tyler Warren.
But it’s not just scheme that is allowing Jones to thrive. He’s playing smart football, looking confident behind a stout Colts offensive line while also knowing when to get the ball away. The result is that Jones has taken just two sacks in three games, has not thrown an interception and has allowed Indianapolis to punt the ball only once.
“He’s seeing the field well. I think Shane does an excellent job of being able to cater to player strengths,” McVay said. “You look at it and he’s playing in rhythm and he’s playing on time. They’re a really well-orchestrated unit.”
Taylor, the former rushing king, is looking like his former self after missing 10 games with various injuries the past three seasons. He leads the NFL with 338 rushing yards at a 5.6-per-carry rate. The Colts’ offensive line is generally well-graded, but Taylor is adding an additional 61 rushing yards over expected, according to Next Gen Stats, tied for third in the league.
He’s playing with power, throwing tacklers off himself with stiff arms, and explosive speed, breaking off runs of 43, 46 and 68 yards this season.
“He’s a home-run hitter. You give him a gap, he’s going to take it to the house,” Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse said. “Their O-line’s really good and they put him in a good position. They do their one to five, adding a tight end or two, a one to six, one to seven. They all block really well. They run their feet and then once he has that one little gap, he can take off.”
The Rams did just build some confidence in their run defense this past weekend.
It was an area the team made a point to address this offseason, making defensive tackle and run-stop specialist Poona Ford their big-ticket addition on that side of the ball while making a subtler move with linebacker Nate Landman. The hope was that those acquisitions, as well as the development of second-year players like Omar Speights, Braden Fiske and Tyler Davis, would lead to improvement of the team’s fatal flaw from a year ago.
So for the Rams to neutralize the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, the running back that so terrorized them in 2024, last weekend was a statement, even if it was overshadowed by the team’s second-half collapse. Barkley gained just 46 yards on 18 carries for 2.6 per rush. At halftime, he had run for only 13 yards.
“I think it started really in the offseason, taking that ownership, just looking back on what happened last year, faced those guys twice,” Speights said. “The first time was just terrible. The second time was a little better but still had some explosives. Both those left a bad taste in our mouth in general. It let all of us take accountability and ownership, not even just against them but just in general as a defense versus the run.”
The data is starting to agree, with the Rams ranked ninth in opposing offense’s success rate against the run at 35.1%. And that may never be more important this season than against the Colts.
“It’s been stout. Nothing’s been easy. It has been a lot of vertical seams,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “Been tackling really well, playing physical and playing tough. When you turn on the tape, it’s a defense you’re proud to be a part of, especially versus the run.”
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (3-0) at RAMS (2-1)
When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 225, 380
Line: Rams by 3.5