Somehow, some way, the Indianapolis Colts escaped Berlin, Germany with a 31-25 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons (3-6) to go into their bye week with an AFC-leading 8-2 record. Given how the game went, Indy should feel lucky to have even made it to overtime, especially with their poor offensive showing.
For the second week in a row, quarterback Daniel Jones appeared to have regressed back to the mean. Turnovers weren’t an issue through the first seven games of the year, but after a trip to Pittsburgh last week, that’s changed.
Over the last two games, Jones has committed a combined seven turnovers, three fumbles and four interceptions. Surprisingly, his lack of ball security hasn't been a killer for Indianapolis. As a result they managed to fall by only a touchdown to the Steelers and came back to force the extra period and take the victory over Atlanta.
Jonathan Taylor’s MVP-caliber play has been the motor of the offense, adding a 286-yard, three touchdown performance to his resume. The other main contributor - defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
The overall performance against the Falcons wasn’t flawless. Atlanta’s running backs averaged five yards a carry and tackling issues plagued the defense early on.
Despite some of the issues, there were still stats which showed the defense’s strength on Sunday. Atlanta never converted a third down on eight attempts. Despite missing their best pass rusher in DeForest Buckner, the unit recorded three sacks, all from linebackers or defensive backs. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was held to under a 50% completion rate (42.8%).
These stats represent not just the execution of the players on the field, but Anarumo’s experience as a play caller. That quality is one of the main reasons why Indianapolis targeted the 59-year-old for their vacant coordinator position.
Just four seasons ago, Anarumo led a Cincinnati Bengals defensive unit which reached Super Bowl LVI. That unit was paired with an offense which draws several parallels to this year’s Colts offense—a quarterback playing some of the best football of his career, a running back at the top of the league in all rushing statistics and a diverse and deep wide receiver group, the Bengals’ featured that year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in Ja’Marr Chase.
Now, Jones is no Joe Burrow, but Taylor is on a historic rushing pace and tight end Tyler Warren is right in the thick of the race for the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The major difference? Cincinnati’s offensive line was horrific, allowing the most sacks in the league that season (51).
Anarumo’s defense complemented that Bengals offense extremely well, and there’s an argument that his unit this year complements this year’s Colts offense even better.
Anarumo’s scheme relies on unpredictability and confusing the opposing quarterback with exotic look pre-snap looks. Similarly, this Indy offense has so many different players who can make plays that the defense never knows what’s coming, making the Colts one of the most difficult teams to prepare for across the board. As a result, the opposition is bound to be unprepared for at least something Anarumo throws their way.
Take Sunday as an example. On the final drive of regulation with the score tied at 25, Atlanta had 21 seconds and two timeouts to get into position for a game-winning field goal. To combat this, Anarumo brought what appeared to be a simple four-man rush. Instead, he deployed a tackle-tackle stunt on the defensive interior, bringing rookie JT Tuimoloau around the penetrating Adetomiwa Adebawore, forcing Penix to throw the ball into the dirt.
With no receiver in the area, the ball landing behind the line of scrimmage and Penix still being inside the tackle box, he was flagged for intentional grounding, which ended the game and forced overtime.
Simple, but effective, and perfect for the situation.
Anarumo’s experience shined through again on the first drive of overtime as well. On third-and-9, Anarumo brought seven players up to the line of scrimmage. Instead of sending all seven on a blitz, linebacker Germaine Pratt and defensive end Kwity Paye dropped in coverage as cornerback Kenny Moore II and linebacker Zaire Franklin attacked the pocket. Penix overthrew his receiver, but was saved by an illegal contact penalty on Colts cornerback Mekhi Blackmon.
Instead of getting a three-and-out, the Colts defense was back to square one. Still, Anarumo didn’t waver and got off the field on the next set of downs.
On another third-and-long—this time with 12 yards to go—Anarumo changed the look, bringing just five guys on the line of scrimmage and lining both his defensive tackles up in a one and two-technique alignments off the left shoulder of Falcons center Ryan Neuzil with Franklin occupying the opposite side A gap. This time, all five pressured the pocket, and Franklin got home for the sack. Atlanta was forced to punt, and the rest is history.
Anarumo put together more than enough evidence to suggest he’s fluent in the language of closing out games late, using his experience and expertise as a playcaller to give the Colts a massive leg up.
Look at any former Super Bowl-winning team. The vast majority of the time, their defense is capable of doing what the Colts showed on Sunday. So, with an efficient quarterback on offense and elite running game complementing the defense, why shouldn’t the Colts be perceived in the same vein?
The Colts keep chugging along, even in a conference with teams hot on their tail. The Patriots and Broncos also sit at 8-2, with a chance to put the pressure on Indianapolis coming out of the bye with wins.
Head coach Shane Steichen’s group heads to Kansas City in two weeks in what is likely the biggest game of the season to face the defending conference champion Chiefs. Win then, and the Colts are likely in pole position to claim the lone first-round playoff bye.
