The Colts have gotten their second win of the season in yesterday’s international game against the Commanders. Indianapolis is now 2-2 on the season, looking to carry its momentum into Pittsburgh this Sunday. That might be easier said than done.
During Sunday’s contest, the Colts started as uninspired as possible. To the point where it looked like, if Washington’s backup quarterback Marcus Mariota had not suffered a knee injury in the first quarter, the Commanders might have backed Indianapolis into a corner early. Instead, the Colts’ defense held down Washington long enough for Indianapolis to get things moving offensively.
Which is what finding a way seems to be all about. No matter how slow they start, the Colts have been able to generate the necessary push to get back into games. It is not always pretty, and it certainly has not been consistent. However, Indianapolis has shown an ability to stay within striking distance until something finally clicks.
This is something Daniel Jones did not have during his time in New York. With the Colts, Jones has a team around him that can give him a way out of uninspired play. He can make mistakes, settle into a game, and still have an opportunity to win. Against Washington, that formula worked again.
That concept can only be functional for so long. Pittsburgh is lurking around the corner. The Colts have to travel back from London to Indianapolis before making another trip to Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the Steelers have upwards of 10 days to prepare for Indianapolis after their undeniably frustrating loss to Cleveland on Thursday night.
The terrible towels will be waving aggressively in the wind during the Colts vs. Steelers matchup. Aaron Rodgers and company will also have a familiar mission. It is the same one Pittsburgh had the last time it played the Colts in 2025. Kill any and all momentum Indianapolis has built.
The Colts have finally started to find some momentum after a brutal 0-2 start. Jonathan Taylor has continued to establish himself as the centerpiece of the offense, the defense has shown it can keep games within reach, and Indianapolis has now won two straight.
Pittsburgh will be looking to take all of that away. Interestingly, if Jones can clean up his game and prevent those early first-half turnovers, the Colts would have a much better chance of playing at their expected level against difficult teams the rest of the way.
Explosive plays can be found in multiple ways. One of them is creating more opportunities for Jones to throw deep. The Colts cannot constantly rely on long drives to recover from slow starts. Eventually, one of those early mistakes will turn into a deficit that the defense cannot overcome. Against Pittsburgh, Indianapolis needs to find a way to make the game easier on itself from the beginning.
Hopefully, with Darius Slayton learning the playbook more each week, he will see his first significant snaps with the horseshoe this Sunday. That could give Jones another weapon capable of changing the entire structure of a defense.
The Colts have found a way through four weeks. Now they have to prove they can find a way against a team that has had extra time to prepare. Because eventually, finding a way cannot mean digging yourself out of the same hole every week. At some point, the Colts have to stop creating the hole in the first place.
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