Indianapolis Colts: What we learned from the offense in Week 1

The Indianapolis Colts offense was outmuscled in their matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The left side of the offensive line was beaten up.

The Indianapolis Colts opened the 2021 NFL season with a loss to the Seattle Seahawks. It was a contest in which they were competitive early but, as time wore on, both sides of the ball were unable to keep up. We’re going to break down the film for what we saw from Carson Wentz in the Colts offense, though, to see what we can learn moving forward.

One of the biggest issues on film was Julie’n Davenport at left tackle. It started out fine but he was overmatched late in the game. Rasheem Green routinely beat him, particularly with a bull rush. That leaves a concern moving forward as Eric Fisher is still recovering and the Colts schedule doesn’t let up.

To help deal with the Davenport issue, head coach Frank Reich could utilize Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox as extra blockers on the left side to help the interim tackle. With matchups against Aaron Donald, among others, looming, ensuring protection will be key.

In terms of the passing attack, it was disappointing to not see many shots down the seam. For as good as Jamal Adams is, he’s better in the box than in deep coverage. Perhaps the lack of downfield throws was a construct of missing T.Y. Hilton but someone else must step up to open up deep areas of the field.

Speaking of pass-catchers, Parris Campbell was targeted just three times. We don’t know the full gameplan from the coaches but that’s not enough involvement for the big-play threat. That’s especially true with the aforementioned absence of Hilton.

There were some nice passing game uses of Nyheim Hines, who was deployed creatively, even lining up out wide. With the line struggling a bit thanks to Davenport, quick-hitters to Hines are valuable and could become more of a staple.

But if we’re looking at the running backs, the Colts had no success running the ball. Sure, they were up against a Bobby Wagner-led front seven. Even still, Indianapolis remained committed to Jonathan Taylor and the rushing attack, which is promising moving forward. Running ugly might be the name of the game until reinforcements are available on the line.

Returning to Wentz and the passing offense, though, the Colts might be well-served to look to the Seahawks for inspiration in moving the pocket to get the quarterback on the move. It can not only hide struggling linemen but can also reduce the number of reads the quarterback has to make.

And if we’re talking about moving Wentz, please, for the love of sanity, Indianapolis needs to dial up some quarterback draws. If the line is going to continue to allow pass-rushers to succeed, then the Colts have to keep them honest with blitzes.

It wasn’t all bad for Indianapolis on offense in Week 1. Wentz’s mobility extended plays and drives while Hines proved he can be a valuable cog in the unit in its current state. Yet, there is much to improve on.

The playbook needs to expand not only to open things up but to help keep defenses on their toes while the offensive line isn’t in the shape it has been in years past. Davenport is a weak link but there are ways to somewhat mitigate that. And that should be the focus for the Indianapolis Colts as they look to prepare for the Rams in Week 2 and then moving forward.