Plenty went wrong for the Indianapolis Colts in their Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
It’d be way too simple to blame the defeat on one or two players. Many hands played a part in getting blown out to begin the season.
There is one player, though, that sort of sums everything up: Jaylon Carlies.
Carlies started at linebacker for the Colts, but if you looked afterward, you wouldn’t know it.
That’s because by the end of the game, Carlies had tallied zero stats. He didn’t have a single number in any standard category.
And he somehow did that despite playing 42 snaps. He was out there running around against an explosive Ravens offense and essentially never got near enough to the ball to achieve anything — a tackle, a pass knockdown, some kind of fumble involvement — nothing.
#Colts starting LB Jaylon Carlies did not record a single stat in 42 snaps played, according to PFF.
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) September 14, 2026
More About Jaylon Carlies
Carlies was a fifth-round pick out of Missouri in 2024 by the Colts.
He actually went to the NFL Combine in the defensive backs group, but he’s turned into an undersized linebacker for Indy.
Carlies played 10 games as a rookie, starting six, and finished with 36 tackles.
Injuries limited him to just three games last season, and one total tackle.
Despite that inexperience, Carlies started on Sunday, and clearly, it didn’t go well.
There are games that linebackers can play in which they don’t get tons of stats but actually have a strong influence. This wasn’t that.
When the opponent’s score starts with a 4, it’s a bad sign about the possibility of a positive intangible contribution from a guy who was on the field a lot.
Carlies wasn’t the only player at fault. Shoot, Zay Flowers’ 50-yard touchdown reception was an example of almost everyone being at fault as he ran right past nearly all the Colts defenders at varying points in the play.
But it’s almost impossible for a linebacker to play 42 snaps and end up with no stats whatsoever, and that’s the feat Carlies accomplished.
Another Question
Carlies’ lack of production also raised another point: CJ Allen.
The Colts drafted the linebacker from Georgia in the second round, and he didn’t get onto the field in Week 1 despite being active.
So that means that Allen had the same statistical output as Carlies despite the snap count balance being 42-0 in favor of Carlies.
At some point, you would think the Colts would’ve tried Allen, but they stuck with what they were doing, which wasn’t working.
It’s a long season, and things might change in a hurry. But for one week, the invisible Carlies and the held back Allen were two key talking points for the Colts — both of which could require a change sooner rather than later.
Colts’ Starter Had 0 Stats in 42 Snaps in Week 1