The Indianapolis Colts fell off the rails and embarrassed themselves against the Green Bay Packers

The Indianapolis Colts fell to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 by a score of 16-10.The Colts struggled from start to finish on both sides of the ball throughout this game and, at times, flat-out embarrassed themselves.They now fall to 0-2 on the season and have multiple areas of serious concern growing. If not […]

Destin Adams — NFL News Writer
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Sep 15, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws a pass under pressure from Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Rashan Gary (52) during the first quarter at Lambeau Field.
Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts fell to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 by a score of 16-10.

The Colts struggled from start to finish on both sides of the ball throughout this game and, at times, flat-out embarrassed themselves.

They now fall to 0-2 on the season and have multiple areas of serious concern growing. If not corrected, their 2024 season could go off the rails at an alarming rate. 

Colts' defense hits rock bottom

Just when you thought the Colts' run defense couldn't get worse after allowing 213 yards to the Houston Texans Week 1, they found a way. The Packers one-upped the Texans by rushing for 261 yards against the Colts' defense. And to make it even worse, the Colts saw star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner get carted off the field with what the team labeled an ankle injury. There's no clear sign that the Colts defense is going to improve at this moment. So Chris Ballard and his staff might just have to sit back and watch the dam break on the defense they chose to not address this offseason. 

Anthony Richardson struggles 

After a Superman-type performance in Week 1, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson had a day he will want to forget, but he will instead have to learn from. Richardon's sporadic accuracy was an issue throughout the day. This led to three interceptions (the third being as time expired on a Hail Mary attempt), and he only completed 50% of his 34 pass attempts for 204 yards and a touchdown. 

The Colts know there are going to be some down moments as Richardson develops, but today, the bad outweighed the good. As a result, the Colts lost to a Packers team without their starting QB and only scored 10 points, which tied their season low from a year ago. We saw glimpses in Week 1 of why some believe Richardson can be a superstar in this league, but Week 2 showed what it can look like if he has an ineffective outing. Now, all eyes to Week 3, where we will hope to see Richardson and the Colts offense can get back on track.

Shane Steichen's worst game as a playcaller 

It hasn't been a great start to the year in terms of playcalling for Colts head coach Shane Steichen. He had some puzzling decisions in the season opener, but Week 2 was, without a doubt, his worst outing as a playcaller since coming to the Colts. For example, a questionable decision that comes to mind is a 4th and one option run out of the shotgun, in which Trey Sermon was the RB on the field. Having Sermon on the field was a trend that occurred throughout the game. Including Sermon playing significant snaps during the team's scoring drive to make it a one-score game. 

Taking Taylor off the field outside of giving him a breather is not an ideal situation for the Colts. I'd understand if they had a backup they could trust as a runner, but Sermon hasn't shown the ability to be a difference-maker so far this year. On top of it, Jonathan Taylor was far and away the Colts' best player throughout the game, ending the day with 103 rushing yards on just 12 carries and two catches for 32 receiving yards. 

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