As we’ve been doing for several years now, we’ll break down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent each week, telling you what to expect from a scheme and individual standpoint. This year, Jonathan Heitritter and I will cover the opposing team’s defense. I will focus on the scheme, Jonathan on the players.
Today, scouting the Indianapolis Colts’ defense.
ALEX’S SCHEME REPORT
Colts’ Run Defense
A middling, to below, run defense, the Colts are allowing 4.2 yards per carry. That’s tied for 15th in football. Opposing offenses are putting the ball in the end zone quite a bit, their 19 scores tied for 30th across the league this year. They’ve also allowed 45 runs of 10 or more yards, tied for 25th this year.
The Colts run a true and blue 4-3 front without many hybrid looks. They often play a 4-2-5, even against 12 personnel and 2 RB/Pony sets, walking down S Julian Blackmon to help support the run. Up front, it’s a talented D-line getting back the always-underrated Grover Stewart, one of Chris Ballard’s Day Three, small school gems. Stewart returned last week after missing the middle chunk of the season and played 65 percent of the defense’s snaps. DeForest Buckner is also a force up front, and they like to one-gap and shoot him upfield.
Indianapolis plays a mix of one and two-gapping. Against zone runs, they’ll attack and get upfield, and man/duo blocks, they’ll absorb and free up the linebackers. Examples of both.
Their leading tackle is No. 44 Zaire Franklin. Not only is he leading the Colts, he enters Week 15 leading the entire NFL with 144 tackles. Fellow LB E.J. Speed is coming back after an injury. He has only 55 tackles this year, but nine of them for a loss, so he’s making impact plays on a regular basis.
The d-line does respond to shifts and motion. The cornerbacks and DBs support the run well, especially slot corner Kenny Moore, though the Titans cracked/replaced on No. 32 to get RB Derrick Henry 1v1 on the corner for a touchdown two weeks ago.
The linebackers also often shift away from the tight end when the SS drops down into the box. Chance to run it strongside and attack that half. Some other defensive stats. They’re allowing a lot of points on the year, 25.4 per game. That ranks 29th. They play in a lot of high-scoring games, the opposite of where the Steelers live. The Colts have had seven games in which there were at least 50 combined points. The Steelers? Not once. Their highest combined total was 48 in a 26-22 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week Two. Same 7-6 records, two different worlds, and ways to win.
Indianapolis is 25th in yards per game allowed at just under 358. Situationally, they’re average, 13th on third down (37.4 percent) and 16th in the red zone (54.8 percent). They have taken the ball away a ton, 21 of them, which is tied for seventh-most.
Colts’ Pass Defense
A solid unit overall in terms of output. Opposing teams are completing just 64 percent of their passes, 12th-best in the NFL. They’ve given up only 15 touchdowns, tied-eighth in the league with their 13 interceptions inside the top five. They’re also getting home to the QB with 42 sacks, tied for third entering the week. I wouldn’t have guessed that. On top of that, the Colts are dead-last in blitz rate, doing so just 16.1 percent of the time. Though they do get sacks, their pressure rate is below average per PFR, 20.8 percent, which is tied for 18th.
If there’s a weakness, they tend to allow the big play. The 7.3 YPA opposing QBs have ranked tied for 22nd in the league while they’ve given up 46 completions of 20-plus yards, tied for 26th.
The 42 sacks they have come from a variety of people. Four players have at least five sacks, led by DE Samson Ekubaum’s eight, a career-high. Dayo Odeyingbo, bouncing back from a torn Achilles as a rookie, has 6.5 sacks and has good size. Buckner in the middle has 5.5 sacks. Their DBs don’t blitz a lot but watch out for NCB Kenny Moore, who has 1.5 sacks this year and 9.5 in his career, top ten among active DBs.
The picks come from different people, too. Blackmon and Moore each have three, while safety-turned-linebacker Ronnie Harrison has two, including a pick-six in last week’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
As is the personality of DC Gus Bradley, they’re a predominant Cover 3 team. Spot drop zone that can be exploited with flood concepts. Playaction can be effective, too. Watch the crosser flood the zone as the nine-route clears it out. The quarterback missed it, but it was there.
They’ll mix that up with Cover 2 and Cover 6 and some Cover 4 down near the goal line. Mostly see Cover 6 on second down and Cover 2 on third down. Examples of both, Cover 2 against the Titans and Cover 6 versus the Bengals.
As a rush front, in obvious pass situations, they’ll play Wide 9 looks with the DEs flared out and the defensive tackles as matching three techs. They can stunt and twist off it, but less than you might expect. But they will stress the edges. They can, though not as often, align 3×1 as many teams do on passing downs, which usually indicates a looper to balance the rush 2×2.
Jonathan’s Individual Report
The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon in a must-win situation, sitting at 7-6 on the year and needing to pick up a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. They face a Colts team that is also 7-6 on the year, having overcome injuries to rookie QB Anthony Richardson as well as RB Jonathan Taylor. Defensively, the Colts have struggled to stop opposing offenses this season, ranking 29th in the league in points allowed and 25th total yards allowed. They ranked 17th against the pass and 26th against the run, ranking top ten in football in turnovers forced including 13 interceptions on the season.
Defensive Line
The defensive line for the Colts is led by Pro Bowl DL No.99 DeForest Buckner. The 6’7, 295lb defender is a giant in the middle for the Indy defense, having the strength and power to overwhelm blockers at the point of attack while also possessing the quickness and length to beat blocks as a pass rusher and get into the backfield. Buckner can move up-and-down the line of scrimmage and is a clear mismatch for guards and centers inside, accumulating 58.5 sacks in his career and 5.5 so far this season. He uses his hands well for an interior defensive lineman to shed blocks and put pressure on the passer.
Beside Buckner on the interior is DL No. 90 Grover Stewart. Stewart isn’t near the pass rusher that Buckner is, but the 6’4, 315lb Stewart is one of the best run defenders in the league. He is an immovable object in the middle of the defense, having the brute strength and base to sit down in gaps and command double teams, allowing linebackers to run to the ball. He effectively pushes the pocket, trapping opposing RBs in the backfield as well as a pass rusher. He doesn’t have a sack on the season, but he is a handful for centers and guards to block.
Behind Stewart and Buckner are No. 96 Taven Bryan, No. 95 Adetomiwa Adebawore, and #93 Eric Johnson. Bryan has started seven games this season with Indy, posting two sacks and four tackles for loss as more of a run-stuffer than a pass rusher. Adebawore has started to see more action down the stretch, posting 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits in the last few weeks. Johnson has 12 total tackles and a sack on the season, playing 29% of the defensive snaps as a rotational player.
EDGE
Leading the charge on the edge for the Colts is No. 51 Kwity Paye. The 6’2, 261lb defender is strong against the run, having good play strength, and plays with great effort in pursuit of the ball. He is more disruptive than productive as a pass rusher, but he’s slowly developing more and more with each passing season, posting 7.5 sacks so far this season. He has a non-stop motor and will try to give RT Broderick Jones fits on Saturday night.
Starting opposite of Paye is No. 52 Samson Ebukam. The 6’3, 245lb defender is a similar athlete to Paye, having impressive speed and explosiveness on the edge, flying to the football regardless of if he’s chasing down the quarterback or pursuing the run. He came over from San Francisco this offseason and is enjoying a breakout campaign, notching a career-high eight sacks with four games left to play. Ebukam will test LT Dan Moore Jr. on the edge, bringing a blend of speed and power to the table.
Providing depth on the edge is No. 54 Dayo Odeyingbo, who is a freak athlete out of Vanderbilt who is starting to come into his own as a pass rusher, having 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in a part-time role. No. 92 Jacob Martin is also a solid rotational pass rusher, having posted two sacks this season as yet another athletic edge defender. No. 94 Tyquan Lewis has three sacks and six tackles for loss for Indy this season, being a solid run defender that can set the edge. No. 55 Isaiah Land has started to see some action the last month, posting four total tackles and a sack in his rookie campaign.
Linebackers
The Colts decided to part ways with LB Shaq Leonard after starring for the team since 2018. The decision to do so came because of their faith in LB No. 44 Zaire Franklin has seen his impact greatly increase on the defensive side of the football over the last several years. Franklin made his bones as a special teams ace but has become a steady, reliable defender who racks up tackles in droves.
The former seventh-round pick posted 167 total stops last season and already has 144 this year, the most in football. He pursues the ball relentlessly and is a capable blitzer and coverage defender, being the eye to key on in the middle of the defense.
Starting opposite of Franklin is No. 45 E.J. Speed who is better in run-and-chase situations as well as coverage but can struggle going downhill and fighting off blocks due to lack of size (6’3, 227lb). He covers ground well thanks to his size and length, working well from sideline to sideline in pursuit of the football. Behind the main starters for the Colts are former “Mr. Irrelevant”, No. 41 Grant Stuard, No. 50 Segun Olubi, and No. 59 Cameron McGrone, with Olubi being the one that sees the most snaps in a rotational role while all three contribute on special teams.
Cornerbacks
The Colts appear to be getting rookie CB. No. 29 JuJu Brents back this week after being out since October with a quad injury. He has 24 total tackles and one interception in four starts this season. Starting in his place has been No. 39 Darrell Baker, a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern who has worked his way into prominent playing time for the Colts. Baker has great size and length, standing 6’1, 190lb and can match up with bigger receivers on the outside. Still, he can allow separation down the field and at the top of routes, surrendering 473 yards and two touchdowns in coverage this season.
Starting opposite of Baker is rookie No. 40 Jaylon Jones, a seventh-round pick out of Texas A&M who has outplayed his draft status thus far in Indy. The 6’2, 203lb corner has great size and decent speed to carry receivers vertically down the field. He has 33 total stops and three pass deflections so far on the season, having allowed a 58.7% completion rate for 266 yards and three scores.
The Colts also have No. 23 Kenny Moore II holding down the fort at the nickel spot. Moore is one of the best slot defenders in the league, being a physical defender against the run while also being an opportunistic coverage defender. He has recorded 17 INTs in his career, being a two-time Pro Bowler with three more picks this season, two returned for touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers in the same game. With 81 total stops, eight tackles for loss, and six pass breakups on the season, Moore does it all for Indianapolis.
The Colts also have No. 38 Tony Brown, who has one start on the season, picking off one pass as well as having a forced fumble in limited action. The Colts also have No. 37 Ameer Speed, who is primarily a special teamer, splitting time here and there with the Patriots this season.
Safeties
Leading the charge at safety is No. 32 Julian Blackmon. Blackmon had a great rookie season in 2020, but unfortunately suffered a torn Achilles in 2021. He has returned to form the last two seasons, posting 85 tackles, five tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, seven pass deflections, and three interceptions this season. Blackmon is a physical hitter, flying to the football and willing to throw his body around to make stops as a run defender. He does some of his best work deep on the backend as a centerfield safety, having the range, instincts, and ball skills to cover ground and impact deep pass attempts as he makes plays on the football in the air.
No. 25 Rodney Thomas has become a full-time starter in Indy this season, recording 30 total tackles, four pass deflections, and two interceptions. He plays a lot with No. 48 Ronnie Harrison, who the Colts picked up a month ago to add more depth and playmaking to the unit. Harrison has done just that, playing in a sub-package linebacker role next to Franklin in the box as well as a dime defender. He hasn’t allowed a reception in coverage in three games and has two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown last week against the Bengals.
No. 20 Nick Cross has only played 80 defensive snaps thus far on the season, playing considerably more on special teams. Cross was a third-round pick out of Maryland this spring and is a great athlete, being a good run defender thanks to his play speed and pursuit of the football. He has flashed in coverage but still is pretty raw in terms of adjusting in man coverage as well as breaking on the ball effectively when tasked with zone coverage. The Colts also have No. 43 Trevor Denbow, who is primarily a special teams ace.
