Colts open the regular season with a sub-par effort, Most Impactful Players VS Chiefs

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

^{The Indianapolis Colts had a disappointing start to their 2026 make-or-break season Sunday, suffering a 41-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.}

^{What started as a great opening touchdown drive was undone by a Daniel Jones interception, followed by two consecutive quick-scoring drives from Baltimore in the first quarter.}

^{At halftime, after a much-needed defensive turnover created by edge rusher Arden Key and a touchdown drive, it was clear as day that the defense would need to sharpen its efforts and find some consistency if the Colts wanted even a slim chance of getting back into the game.} 

^{Logically speaking, what makes this Colts team different from the others? How will they respond in these times of utter horrendous play?}

^{With the score sitting at 31-13 at the break, it was hard for this Colts team not to get discouraged. Coming out of halftime, Indianapolis managed to squeak out three points on a long Spencer Shrader field goal. The defense also held the Ravens scoreless in the third quarter, improving upon its lackluster first-half performance.}

^{But a game-long trend continued to haunt the Colts: Whenever Indianapolis found any sort of momentum on one side of the ball, the other side would cease to function collectively as a unit.}

^{At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Derrick Henry rushed for his third touchdown of the game to make it 38-16. By then, the Colts offense was palpably out of sync. And by my count, Daniel Jones hadn’t experienced this kind of inconsistency and brutal stagnancy since the Colts’ Week 7 bout against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year.}

^{With that trend firmly established, the Ravens continued to hold the Colts down, eventually beating them by a noticeable deficit.}

^{The Colts’ “find a way” label, something head coach Shane Steichen, general manager Chris Ballard and, perhaps most importantly, owner Carlie Irsay have bestowed upon this team, was put to the test Sunday.}

^{And, of course, they were ultimately unsuccessful.}

^{As much as this loss will inevitably fall on the shoulders of Ballard and Steichen, it also provides the Colts with a chance they did not receive last season during their 8-2 start before injuries had their way with the team as a whole.}

^{That chance is simple: Indianapolis has every opportunity to get better because of this loss against a fired-up Baltimore team.}

^{This can either be a test of strength that ultimately leads to long-term success, or failure that inevitably sets up a “burning down the house” type of attitude from Carlie Irsay and the rest of the higher-ups throughout the organization.}

^{But with Daniel Jones playing his first game since suffering his Achilles injury late last year, there are at least a few things to build upon. Jones finished the afternoon 19-of-32 passing for 166 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per pass, with one touchdown and one interception for a 72.8 passer rating.}

^{There were flashes.}

^{There were stretches of inconsistency.}

^{And there were moments where the Colts looked completely outmatched.}

^{Still, Indianapolis could take those early, late, and inconsistent flashes of inspiring play and turn them into a great performance altogether.}

^{And what a test they have next.}

^{Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium is approaching rapidly.}

^{It is by no means an easy game for the Colts. In fact, last season when the Colts traveled to Arrowhead stadium, they were subject to an embarrassing comeback. In which they had an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter and still somehow lost.}

^{I couldn’t think of a better spark for motivation other than remembering how it felt losing in Kansas City last year, as well as stewing on the loss last week. Channeling that frustration into production is key for the Colts. Especially after seeing how dynamic Kansas City is on both offense and defense. And for the fans, team, and organization, having a loser's mindset will only do more harm to this ever talked about roster.}

^{The Patrick Mahomes, Kenneth Walker combo is not to be taken lightly. And to illustrate just that, here are the top 10 most impactful players heading into the Colts’ week 2 bout against the Chiefs.}

^{10: Jaylon Carlies}

^{After somehow not recording a single stat last week against the Ravens, Carlies should be looking to rebound in any way against the Chiefs.}

^{Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo already stated that he is already looking to revamp what we saw just a couple of days ago ahead of the matchup against K.C. So, finding ways to play to more of Carlie's strengths will be a necessity to not only the defense’s integrity, but Carlies stock as an even semi reliable option for the Colts.}

^{9: DeForest Buckner}

^{Buckner’s performance was okay, considering his health issues throughout last season, bleeding into this past offseason. But against the run, Buckner struggled.}

^{Maybe that is just Buckner getting back into that consistent ‘game shape.’ But it is something that should be fixed by now, considering Buckner is both a veteran and captain of this football team. Which is exactly why Buckner should be in position to at least try and breakthrough to Mahomes in the pocket, providing palpable un-comfortability.}

^{8: Josh Downs}

^{It’s hard to say why Downs’ production tanked in the second half, with such an effective first half. But regardless, he needs to be in the game plan for K.C.}

^{He has consistently proven to be a reliable third down threat, with room to be the number 2 receiver on the field at all times. But last Sunday, it seemed as if Kennan Allen was on the verge of being Daniel Jones go-to other than Tyler Warren, who was locked down most of the game.}

^{Making Downs a more viable middle of the field threat, could stretch the field in Daniel Jones' favor.}

^{Steichen is at his best when he is creative with his playcalling; he needs to scheme Downs open against a deadly Chiefs defense.}

^{7: Justin Walley}

^{Justin Walley was absolutely demolished when matched up with Ravens wide-receiver Zay flowers in what is practically his NFL debut after missing all last year with a torn ACL.}

^{If the Colts want a more competitive game against the Chiefs, then Walley will need to substantially up his game in almost every department. Because the Chiefs will look to expose Walley in coverage just as Ravens head coach Jesse Minter did.}

^{6: Grover Stewart}

^{Grover Stewart struggled against the Ravens quite a bit. He looked consistently outmatched in every department, which is not typical of what is an undeniably solid nose tackle for the Colts.}

^{In tandem with Buckner, Stewart needs to find a way to pressure Mahomes.}

^{Making Mahomes become impatient like we saw glimmers of against the Broncos early is crucial to the defense making it, so the offense does not have to score every time they touch the ball.}

^{5: C.J Allen}

^{The Colts 2026 second round pick C.J Allen did not play a single rep on defense for the Colts despite being active.}

^{Now, it is important to note that Allen did suffer a couple of aggravations to his hamstring throughout training camp so it would explain a possible limited workload. But that is no excuse for what Chris Ballard described as the Colts “green dot guy” in the linebacker room.}

^{Learning, adjusting, or recovering on the fly is practically the name of the game in the NFL. Therefore, Allen must be a routine player on defense against the Chiefs. Too many times against the Ravens, the Colts looked lost and were unable to get anything done defensively. A secure tackle was hard to come by, so Allen is needed now more than ever.}

^{His electricity, aggression, and dedication could boost the Colts defense just enough to transform them back into their peak level of play.}

^{4: Colts O-line}

^{The Colts offensive line needs to keep Daniel Jones from looking as rattled as he did against Baltimore.}

^{Giving him even a fragment of a second more in the pocket will be the best-case scenario for the Colts offense, as Daniel Jones on that first drive of the Baltimore game looked like he picked up exactly where he left off before he even fractured his fibula.}

^{But beyond just Jones’ Jonathan Taylor needs more room, especially against a good Chiefs defensive front. The Colts need to feel security in what is sure to be a hard-hitting game for the Colts offensive line.}

^{3: Tyler Warren}

^{The Ravens did everything they could last Sunday to take Warren out of the game. And whenever Warren broke free, the Colts offense looked to be in great shape.}

^{Getting Warren involved early is a reliable way for how the Colts can get Daniel Jones comfortable, and comfortable early.}

^{Tyler Warren is at his best when he is thrust into numerous roles at once. And seeing as the Chiefs will work to take away Jones’ go to targets, Shane Steichen needs to be prepared to use more personnel all in the hopes of getting more people open, not even just Warren.}

^{2: Jonathan Taylor}

^{Jonathan Taylor needs to be able to not make such irresponsible mistakes such as his fumble against Baltimore.}

^{Becoming the version of himself that we saw at the peak of the Colts hot start last year, will be a necessity not even to let the game flow through him, but at least lean on him in certain areas of the field.}

^{1: Daniel Jones}

^{As much as relying on such a fragile idea may pain fans, he needs to be able to provide some sort of insurance that he will get the ball to his playmakers in times of need.}

^{Not taking the bate on no-look throws, picking up on blitzes, and being more consistent in short, tighter coverage throws can keep a game like this weekend closer than it was this past weekend.}

^Opinion:

^{It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how the Colts will do vs the Chiefs on Sunday night, but watching the Chiefs dismantle the Denver Broncos only provides doubt.}

^{Statistically speaking, the Colts season will not be over if they lose to the Chiefs. But the main message that people should be trying to get across is how hard it becomes throughout the rest of the season for the Colts.}

^{The Colts need to find their identity quick, because they are about to be tested every step of the way.}

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