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Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season certainly got off to quite the start on Thursday Night Football. The Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos met on Thursday for a game that … definitely happened alright. This game may have been agonizing to watch, but Indy ultimately prevailed 12-9 in overtime thanks to a key stop on fourth down in the red zone to end Denver's final drive.
Both teams' offenses struggled immensely in this game, and even that is putting it kindly. Neither team scored a touchdown, and both quarterbacks threw two interceptions while posting QBRs below 25. The defenses played pretty well, but it's hard to tell if that was because of their skill, or just how atrocious the offenses were.
The Colts became the second team in the Super Bowl era to win a game in which they scored 0 touchdowns, threw multiple interceptions, and sacked at least 6 times.
They join the 1973 Browns who beat the Giants in Week 13, 12-10. pic.twitter.com/g0wim38M6T
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 7, 2022
Regardless of how ugly it was, Indy improved to 2-2-1 on the season. This win was crucial for the Colts to keep pace in the AFC playoff race, and they got it by any means necessary. With that out of the way, let's dive into some key Colts takeaways from this Week 5 “game.”
3. The Colts need Jonathan Taylor
On Wednesday, the Colts officially ruled out their star running back for Thursday night's game in Denver. Jonathan Taylor had been dealing with a leg injury he suffered in Sunday's loss against the Tennessee Titans, and he ultimately wasn't ready to go in time.
Taylor hasn't been the dynamo he was expected to be this season, with just 328 yards and one touchdown in four games. However, he is still unquestionably the backbone of this offense. With their star gone, the Colts' other running backs had to step up on Thursday, but that's not what happened.
Indy struggled to run the ball the entire night, finishing with just 106 rushing yards. Deon Jackson had a decent performance with 13 carries for 62 yards. Former Bronco Phillip Lindsay was less impressive, though, with 11 carries for just 40 yards.
To be fair, the Colts' rushing struggles do come with a bit of an asterisk. Nyheim Hines, Indy's second running back behind Taylor, left the game in the first few minutes after a scary injury. The Colts were counting on Hines to make an impact with Taylor out, and his loss left a huge hole in the backfield.
If the Colts want to turn their miserable offense around, Taylor has to come back strong. Thursday's game proved just how important he is to this offense, and Hines' injury only exacerbates that.
2. The offensive line has to improve
Indy fans have slammed new quarterback Matt Ryan for his performance so far this season. It's not entirely without reason, as the longtime Falcon has just five touchdowns to seven interceptions so far this season, and his QBR of 34.2 is a career low. The Colts expected Ryan to bring stability under center, but he has already thrown as many interceptions this season as Carson Wentz did for them all of last season.
Carson Wentz interceptions last season: 7
Matt Ryan interceptions so far this season: 7
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 7, 2022
Ryan also has fumbled a whopping 11 times already this season, losing three of them.
However, it's hard to put all the blame on Ryan when his offensive line has been so abysmal. The Colts' supposedly strong offensive line has allowed a league-high 21 sacks on Ryan this season. On those sacks, Ryan has lost 168 yards, 55 more than the next closest in that stat.
Thursday night was more of the same, as the Colts allowed six sacks and 12 QB hits on Ryan. Denver has a strong pass rush with Bradley Chubb leading the way, but that performance is inexcusable for any line regardless of the opposition.
The Colts have invested nearly 20% of their salary cap into their offensive line, the most in the entire league. This line has a perennial All-Pro in Quentin Nelson and another regular Pro Bowler in Ryan Kelly, which only makes this performance more disappointing. This unit needs to get it together quickly, or Ryan will wind up in the infirmary sooner rather than later.
1. This defense is pretty good
If there's any positive about this game, it's that the Colts' defense looks really solid right now. Keeping an offense out of the end zone for an entire game is always impressive, no matter the opposition.
Indy shut down Russell Wilson for most of the game, holding him to a 15.9 QBR. The Colts also racked up four sacks and eight QB hits on the night. They were also solid against the rush, holding the Broncos to 125 rushing yards on 28 attempts.
Indy's defense had a strong performance against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 and against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4, despite the loss. The Colts' defense has quietly become a sturdy unit, and they're doing it without star linebacker Shaquille Leonard. If he can come back strong this season, this defense can hang with any offense in the league.
