Reeling Colts looking for answers to sluggish offense, Gardner’s injury

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Suddenly, the Indianapolis Colts can’t catch a break.

Their once humming offense has scored 20 or fewer points in three of their past four games — all losses. Two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner may miss multiple weeks after injuring his left calf. And the Colts (8-4) have lost their once seemingly safe AFC South lead.

It’s a combination that would frustrate any coach, including Shane Steichen.

But Indy’s coach doesn’t have time to fret if he wants his team to rebound from their worst stretch of the season and stay in playoff position through December.

“I’ll talk to (defensive coordinator) Lou (Anarumo) this week and, obviously, he’ll have a game plan set up for the guys we’ve got out there,” Steichen said when asked about losing Gardner. “But I think that’s the NFL. Guys are going to get injured, miss time and it’s next man up. You’ve got to put the pieces together, scheme it up and put guys in position to be successful.”

Nothing’s gone right lately for a team that entered November with the AFC’s best record.

Now, though, it’s December and everything has changed.

Running back Jonathan Taylor has been held in check and out of the end zone each of the past two weeks. Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie tight end Tyler Warren are still catching passes, 14 over those past two games, but have only 107 combined yards to show for it. And Rigoberto Sanchez’s 10 punts in those two games matched his total from the first four games this season.

What’s wrong and how can it be fixed?

Steichen needs to spend the first part of this week scrutinizing both before these struggles damage the Colts playoff hopes.

“I think what really gnaws at me are the three-and-outs,” he said. “You want to create momentum early in the game and to start the game with two three-and-outs, we’ve got to be better there. That starts with myself and then, obviously, staying on the field on third downs and being efficient on first and second downs — not putting yourself in third-and-long, second-and-long, so being efficient on first down is a big part of it.”

What’s working

Run defense. On a day not much went right for Indy, the run defense managed to limit Houston to 3.2 yards per carry. It wasn’t that the Texans abandoned the run, either. They ran 34 times for 108 yards, one of the better efforts since Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner went on injured reserve four weeks ago with a neck injury.

What needs help

Daniel Jones’ mobility. As questions continue to swirl about his injured fibula, Jones is struggling to move when under duress. It’s resulted in two of his least efficient games of the season and Indy’s first back-to-back losses. But there aren’t many good secondary options. Anthony Richardson is still on injured reserve, rookie Riley Leonard hasn’t completed either of his two passes, and Brett Rypien remains stuck on the practice squad.

Stock up

WR Alec Pierce. The soon-to-be free agent is proving his value to the Colts on a weekly basis. He caught four more passes for 78 yards with a nifty TD catch against Houston and is making big plays in crucial moments routinely. Expect him to cash in with a hefty payday this offseason.

Stock down

K Michael Badgley. When Spencer Shrader suffered a season-ending knee injury in early October, the Colts signed Badgley. Though he’s made 10 of his 11 field goals, he’s also missed three extra-point attempts, including one Sunday that forced Indy to score a late touchdown to take the lead instead of kicking a field goal to tie the score.

Injuries

While the injury to Jones needs to be monitored and the injury to Gardner is concerning and may prevent the Colts from getting back to full strength with Buckner’s impending return. The good news is Buckner could return from his neck injury next week. The bad news: Indy must play at Jacksonville on Sunday without their top defensive lineman.

Key number

10 — The Colts have lost 10 straight road games to the Jaguars, including the 2016 game that was played in London. Indy’s most recent win at Jacksonville came in September 2014, which is also the most recent time the Colts won the AFC South.

Next steps

With three losses in four games, the Colts have given up what once looked like a relatively safe division lead. They’re now tied with the Jaguars, one game ahead of Houston in what has suddenly become a three-team race. But after blowing an opportunity to re-establish their presence atop the AFC South, they need to take advantage of their second chance to do that this week.

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