The Indianapolis Colts scored 30 points and lost, and the box score says the defense wasn't the reason. Indianapolis is 0-2 after a 33-30 overtime loss to Kansas City, because its passing game has no second gear and horizontal offense doesn't survive a fifth quarter.
Daniel Jones went 22 of 31 for 210 yards, one touchdown and one interception. That's 6.8 yards an attempt, a 73.0 QBR and an 86.8 passer rating. The distribution is the tell: Tyler Warren caught 6 of 7 targets for 21 yards, an average of 3.5. Keenan Allen drew 5 targets and caught 1 for 5. Josh Downs did the dirty work with 7 catches for 72. The one genuine explosive came from Laquon Treadwell, 3 catches for 61 yards with a 48-yard long.
Jonathan Taylor did everything asked of him: 24 carries, 92 yards, 2 touchdowns, plus 4 catches for 40 yards. He averaged 3.8 a carry, and that number describes the boxes he was running into as much as it describes him. Indianapolis handed Taylor the game and kept asking Jones to hold it, and 31 attempts for 210 yards is not holding anything.
The defensive ledger confirms the shape of this one. Akeem Davis-Gaither made 14 tackles, 7 of them solo, with 1 tackle for loss. Cam Bynum had 9, Hunter Wohler 8, Jaylon Carlies 6, and Sauce Gardner 6 with a pass breakup. That's a lot of stops happening with the offense already past the line of scrimmage.
Kansas City's half of the box is thinner and still says something. The Chiefs are 2-0, and Patrick Mahomes is listed as their passing leader and one of their rushing leaders. Kenneth Walker III, Emmett Johnson and Khyiris Tonga also show up as rushing leaders. Four ways to move the ball against a Colts defense that couldn't get off the field. Credit Seth McGowan on the other side: 2 kick returns, 58 yards, a 29.0 average and a 38-yard long. One of the few Colts who made something out of nothing.
The fifth quarter stretched. Officials stopped play at 5:09 and again at 3:11, and the game ended at 0:00. Kansas City scored the only points of the extra period, a three-point margin. Indianapolis needed 30 points and overtime just to stay level, then couldn't answer once regulation ran out.
My read: this is a passing-game problem, not a Taylor problem, and it won't fix itself by handing Taylor the ball 30 times a game. Allen catching 1 of 5 targets while the offense completes 22 passes for 210 yards is not bad luck, it's a ceiling. Until Jones is pushing the ball past the sticks and Allen is more than a name on the target sheet, Indianapolis will keep losing the games Taylor nearly wins for them. I'll take a losing record over that offense, and I'll own it.
