The Indianapolis Colts have lost nine consecutive regular-season games. It has been a very significant reality check for head coach Shane Steichen. At one point, his collective was on top of the NFL world with an 8-2 record. Since, things have went completely awry. One of the main reasons for the collapse a year ago was Daniel Jones’ Achilles injury. The defense, however, had its fair share of issues, too. Lou Anarumo is in charge of that group, and has a lot of work to do.
After giving up 41 points to the Ravens in Week 1, Sunday Night Football in Week 2 wasn’t much better. The Kansas City Chiefs put 33 up on the scoreboard in the overtime matchup. The Colts are going to let the 2026 season get away from them if things don’t change.
Colts’ Anarumo Discusses Team’s Defensive Flaws
Anarumo spoke to the media on Tuesday, and Indy Star‘s Joel Erickson reported what was said. The defensive play-caller detailed exactly what is wrong with his group.
“We can’t give up those types of chunk plays to start, and overall, the total yardage is not where we want to be, that’s clear as day to everybody,” Anarumo said, per Erickson. “Where we have to improve … are simple fundamentals. Let’s start with tackling. That’s something we were good at last year. We have taken a step back in that area, that was on full display on the negative end the other night.”
The Colts have allowed the second-most yards to start a season in NFL history. That’s certainly not ideal. Anarumo wasn’t afraid to call out some of the problems that his players need to work through.
“Mental errors are not what’s at the forefront. “It’s more physical mistakes: (Getting to) the right spot, getting guys on the ground from a tackling standpoint, getting lined up in our first game,” Anarumo stated, per Erickson. “We had one or two (mental errors) that cost us on some of the big plays, and we’re working hard to minimize those, for sure.”
The tackling certainly does need to get better for Indianapolis. It has been something that has significantly hurt the Colts to start the season.
Colts Have No Excuses Despite Tough Opening Schedule
The team also got the short-end of the stick with its first two opponents. Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are two of the very best. Despite this, Anarumo knows there are no excuses.
“Everybody’s got good players, those two guys are, in my opinion, first-ballot Hall of Famers, but it’s still no excuse,” Anarumo noted, per Erickson. “We have to go out there and perform at a better level, and in crunch time, make sure we make the plays that need to be made, make the plays that are there to be made.”
There was a good amount of accountability from Anarumo on Tuesday. His players have to take that head-on and improve. While it starts with tackling, the effort needs to be better all around. Week 3 will provide yet another challenge against a tough Houston Texans squad.
Colts Coach Detailed What’s Wrong With The Indianapolis Defense