The Colts’ defense gave up 304 passing yards and 202 rushing yards in their Week 1 loss to the Ravens, and Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner says it was unacceptable.
“We didn’t play to our standard at all whatsoever, and we know we’re better than that and what we put on tape,” Buckner said, via JJ Stankevitz of Colts.com. “But obviously, you’re only as good as your last game and that’s what we put on tape. So we got to continue to prove to ourselves and prove to everybody else that we’re a better defense than that.”
The Colts are 6.5-point underdogs at Kansas City on Sunday night, and they know they need to play a lot better, or else Patrick Mahomes and Kenneth Walker can put up the same kinds of numbers that Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry did. Colts head coach Shane Steichen said he’s emphasizing not letting Walker break tackles.
“The big thing is tackling, right? That’s the biggest thing,” Steichen said. “You got to get this guy on the ground. He runs low, he runs hard, and then our run fits have got to be great.”
If the Colts’ defense again doesn’t play up to its standards, it could be an ugly night against the Chiefs.
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The Chiefs have a couple of question marks on the defensive side of the ball heading into Sunday’s game against the Colts.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback Mansoor Delane are both tagged as questionable for the home matchup.
Jones was limited in practice all week with a calf injury. Delane hurt his shoulder in Monday night’s win over the Broncos and moved up to full practice participation on Thursday, but he dropped back down to limited work to close out the week.
Left tackle Josh Simmons (back) and defensive back Chamarri Conner (knee) were both ruled out for the second straight week. Rookie Kahlil Benson is set to start in place of Simmons again this weekend.
The Colts have ruled out one player for Sunday night’s matchup with the Chiefs, but their backup quarterback will be OK to play.
Via multiple reporters, head coach Shane Steichen ruled out receiver Ashton Dulin for Week 2 with an ankle injury.
Dulin is characterized as week-to-week. He did not practice this week.
While QB2 Anthony Richardson did not practice on Wednesday with a groin issue, Steichen said he should be fine to be available on Sunday. Steichen noted Richardson tweaked his groin while lifting weights earlier this week.
The Colts also have Riley Leonard on the roster as their third quarterback behind starter Daniel Jones and Richardson.
Additionally, receiver Alec Pierce (heel) was practicing on Friday after he didn’t participate on Thursday and appears on track to play.
Indianapolis’ full injury report with game statuses will be released later on Friday.
Despite tearing his ACL and LCL in December, Patrick Mahomes certainly looked healthy on Monday night.
When the Chiefs’ quarterback picked his way through the defense for a 15-yard touchdown to open the scoring, it seemed to signal that Mahomes was back.
In his Wednesday press conference, Mahomes noted that at this point, he’s not really thinking about his injury.
“Yeah, I feel normal,” Mahomes said, via transcript from the team. “Actually, I mean, it’s like a blessing and curse. You get sore everywhere else because you haven’t played football in so long. And so, the leg is like the least of my worries right now.
“So, I’m just excited to be out there and playing. At the end of the day, you don’t know until you get out there and play, and I was able to go out there and play, and I feel good today. So, now it’s about getting in the ice bath or whatever it takes to be ready for this Sunday night game.”
While Mahomes has gotten through the first week of the season healthy, there are improvements to be made in the club’s passing game. Mahomes finished just 15-of-27 for 184 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
The Chiefs will take on the Colts at home on Sunday night.
Colts receiver Keenan Allen faces an enhanced misdemeanor charge for DUI, because his blood-alcohol concentration (alcohol concentration equivalent, in Indiana parlance) exceeded 0.15 percent after he was arrested last month.
Allen’s BAC didn’t exceed 0.15 percent by just a little bit.
Via Stephen Holder of ESPN, the number measured following Allen’s arrest was 0.224 percent. That’s significantly beyond the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
The number came from a breath test. Allen also gave a blood sample. That result has not yet been released.
If the measurement is accurate, Allen was extremely intoxicated — approaching potential alcohol poisoning. Under the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Allen is subject to something more than a three-game suspension.
From the policy: “If the Commissioner finds that there were aggravating circumstances, including but not limited to felonious conduct, extreme intoxication (BAC of .15% or more), property damage or serious injury or death to the Player or a third party, and/or if the Player has had prior drug or alcohol-related misconduct, increased discipline may be imposed.”
The timeline for the resolution of Allen’s case isn’t known. He could possibly get through the current season without league-imposed punishment. And, if he retires after the 2026 season, he’ll ultimately face no league discipline at all.
Few TV shows have a more dramatic disconnect between industry and viewer response than the ManningCast. The Peyton and Eli Show, an alternate Monday Night Football broadcast that will be televised 11 times during the regular season and the Super Bowl, continues to draw rave reviews from the critics — while not moving the needle that truly matters.
On Monday night, for example, only 705,000 of the 23.2 million viewers who watched the Broncos-Chiefs game were tuned in to ESPN2 for the combination football broadcast/talk show, via Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
That’s only three pecent of the total audience.
This year, the stakes become even higher, given that ESPN reportedly plans to have a Pat McAfee alternate broadcast on ESPN2 during the weeks that the Mannings don’t do their show. What if the McAfee show outperforms the ManningCast?
The ultimate apples-to-apple comparison will happen during the Super Bowl, if the primary broadcast is accompanied by both a ManningCast and a McAfeeFest.
Everyone involved will say all the right things. They’re teammates. The numbers don’t matter. Yada. Yada. Yada. And they’ll all obsess over the numbers, with whoever draws the smaller crowd becoming tormented by the final verdict, as issued by those who control the remote. Control.
Chiefs rookie corner Mansoor Delane is trending toward playing in the Week 2 matchup against the Colts.
Delane (shoulder) was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, according to the team’s injury report.
Delane was able to play just three snaps before exiting Monday night’s eventual victory over the Broncos. He registered an interception off Bo Nix on his third career snap.
Notably, defensive tackle Chris Jones (calf) was a limited participant to start the week.
Defensive back Chamarri Conner (knee) and left tackle Josh Simmons (back) did not participate.
Defensive end Ashton Gillotte (foot), receiver Rashee Rice (knee), cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee), defensive end R Mason Thomas (hamstring), and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) were all full participants.
Fredd Young, a member of the list of the top 50 Seahawks players in franchise history, has died. He was 64.
Seattle made Young the 76th overall pick in the 1984 draft. He played college football at New Mexico State.
Young made the Pro Bowl from 1984 through 1987, and he was an AP first-team All-Pro in his fourth and final season with the Seahawks.
As a rookie, he became the first AFC player to make the Pro Bowl as a special-teams player who wasn’t a return specialist.
In 1988, Young was traded to the Colts for a pair of first-round picks after a contract fight with the Seahawks. He then spent three seasons in Indianapolis.
For his career, Young appeared in 101 regular-season games with 79 starts.
Word on Tuesday was that Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane avoided a serious shoulder injury in Monday night’s win over the Broncos and the first-round pick is set to be back on the field right away.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters at a Wednesday press conference that Delane will take part in their first practice of the week. Delane intercepted Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on the third play on Monday night, but came down on his shoulder and did not return. Delane also dealt with a shoulder issue in the offseason.
Reid said that offensive tackle Josh Simmons (back) and defensive back Chamarri Conner (knee) will remain out of practice. They were both inactive for the win over Denver.
Linebacker Cooper McDonald (knee) will also miss practice and Reid said he will be placed on injured reserve.
The Colts are making a change to their defensive operations after getting blown out by the Ravens in Week 1.
Head coach Shane Steichen said on Wednesday, via multiple reporters, that linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither will wear the helmet transmitter and relay defensive calls to the rest of the unit this week. Safety Cam Bynum wore the green dot for the Ravens game.
The move comes a day after defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said that the team was considering a change because of a number of communications breakdowns that helped the Ravens roll up 506 yards of offense in a 41-13 win. Davis-Gaither will be lined up in a more central spot on defense while Bynum was playing deeper in the secondary.
The Colts will put the new system to the test in Kansas City on Sunday night.
