Getty Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (left) reacts after a play alongside defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in 2022.
Despite a disappointing 4-10-1 season by the Indianapolis Colts, the defense has been the team’s most reliable unit and is on the cusp of breaking a 17-year-old record.
The 2005 Colts defense, led by then-25-year-old defensive end Dwight Freeney, amassed a franchise-best 46 sacks. With just two games left in the regular season, Indianapolis has a chance to exceed that number, as the defense added four sacks on December 26 to bring the season sack total to 43.
Ranking sixth in the NFL this season, the Colts’ sack total isn’t the result of just one player. Numerous defensive linemen have been able to get a piece of the pie, and that was evident yet again during the 20-3 loss to the Chargers in Week 16.
Attacking Quarterbacks at a High Level
Even with 43 sacks this year, the Colts don’t have a player with double digits in that category. But Indianapolis has still been able to receive production across the board, a luxury most teams don’t have.
Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue leads the pack with 9½ sacks. Just behind him is defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who notched his eighth sack of the season against the Chargers with 1½ sacks. Buckner has the chance to match or surpass his 2020 season total of 9½, his most as a Colt.
General manager Chris Ballard addressed Indianapolis’ need for improved pass rush just last year, as defensive ends Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo were the team’s first- and second-round picks in 2021, respectively. Now, Ballard and the Colts are starting to reap the benefits.
Paye has six sacks and is also tied for a team-high 10 tackles for a loss. He said getting pressure on quarterbacks has been a team emphasis in forcing favorable field position and turnovers.
“We’re just trying to hunt as much as we can,” Paye said after the loss to Los Angeles. “The defense puts a lot of stress on our room. We’ve got to make plays, we’ve got to get sacks, we’ve got to get strip sacks, fumble recoveries, all of that.”
Odeyingbo has blossomed in his second year in Indianapolis, putting up five sacks, a significant improvement from just ½ sack as a rookie. Like Buckner, Odeyingbo tallied 1½ sacks against the Chargers.
Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said the Colts have recently experimented with Odeyingbo by moving him to a more interior role.
“Some of that load is to take a load off of [Buckner],” Bradley said during a December 27 press conference. “He plays bigger than his weight, he’s a load out there and we’re just taking a look at him for the different things he can do and looking at our combinations that can be on the field at the same time.”
With the veteran experience of Ngakoue and Buckner combining with the accelerated development of Paye and Odeyingbo, the defensive line looks to be a consistent force until the season’s end — and a unit that could even break the franchise sack record.
Defense Left Out to Dry
The Colts’ loss to the Chargers was the mark of yet another abysmal offensive performance. It was the third time this year in which Indianapolis scored three or fewer points in a game.
The glaring reason: the Colts did not convert any third downs — the second time that’s happened in 2022. That’s only happened in two other NFL games this year, according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder.
Indianapolis head coach Jeff Saturday said it’s frustrating to see the defense carry the load while the offense falters.
“From a guy who is in charge of all three phases, man, I feel for them,” Saturday told the media on December 27. “When it continually goes the way it’s going right now, we’re struggling the way we are offensively, you feel for the defense because those guys, again, are keeping you in games and battling to keep you within striking distance, which they did.”
Even former Colts defensive back Darius Butler weighed in on the team’s defense:
I feel bad for this Colts Defense man. ZERO help all year. Much like Denver. STINKS!
With quarterback Nick Foles tossing three interceptions in his first start, the Colts now have the worst turnover ratio in the NFL (-13).
Trying times could easily lead to frustration, but defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has been able to hold defensive players accountable and keep a competitive mindset during the underwhelming season.
“We’ve got to play every series, every snap, regardless [of whether] we’re ahead, we’re behind,” Bradley told the media. “There’s a standard that we have set for us and that consistency that we need to show week-in and week-out is what drives this team.”