Indianapolis, IN — The Indianapolis Colts’ pass rush through five weeks had been touted as a struggling unit that lacked consistency. This unit has been getting the job done, but a below-average pressure percentage (T-21st) and league-worst (T-31st) get-off rate has raised questions as to whether or not this group has enough juice to last for the entire season. Against the Arizona Cardinals, however, Indy’s pass rush put on its strongest showing yet.
Lou Anarumo’s Colts defense attacked the veteran spot-starting QB Jacoby Brissett early and often, resulting in virtually the only time its pass defense was able to stop the Cardinals through the air. The Colts pressured Jacoby Brissett on 48.9% of his dropbacks on Sunday, the highest single-game pressure rate for Indy this season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Against the Colts, Brissett completed just 6 of 20 passes for 91 yards when under pressure; he was pressured 23 times and sacked twice. When not facing pressure, he was significantly more effective, completing 21 of 24 attempts for 229 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Brissett’s 87.5% completion percentage and 75.0% success rate from a clean pocket are both the highest by a Cardinals QB this season, via NFL Pro Insights.
To further explain just how often the Colts were garnering pressure, Pro Football Focus’s in-game data had them totaling 29 pressures, 20 of which were categorized as QB Hurries. Of this consistent showing, the biggest contributors were DT DeForest Buckner and DEs Laiatu Latu and Kwity Paye. Buckner, Latu, and Paye were each credited with five pressures and three QB Hits, whereas Latu (5) and Buckner (4) had more QB Hurries, but Paye finished with both of the unit’s two sacks on the day.
Also noteworthy, third-year DT Adetomiwa Adebawore had another strong day in limited snaps, logging two pressures and a timely QB Hit turned incompletion on just 14 pass rush snaps. He has really come into his own over the years, now blossoming into a worthwhile rotational piece across the interior.
The Colts pass rush doesn’t appear like it’s affecting opposing quarterbacks as much as it is due to a few reasons. First and foremost, Indy currently lacks a true barn-burning pass rusher that can be depended on to make a big play; instead, they operate as a pass rush by committee. Second-year Laiatu Latu continues to flash as if he’s breaking out into said role, but as of now, his emergence is marinating.
Furthermore, opposing offenses recognize the talent on that side of the ball and have subsequently responded with heavy play-action as well as quick-hitting pass concepts. This, in turn, essentially stymies any given pass rush and, therefore, serves as one reason why the Colts aren’t dominating opposing offensive lines. It’s an attempt that’s been maintained by five different defenses through as many weeks, with opposing quarterbacks getting the ball out against the Colts at a 2.67-second average — the 4th-quickest time to throw against any defense. They are, however, still producing despite a strategic attempt at halting the rush altogether.
Entering Week 6, the Colts had logged the T-5th most sacks (14) and then added two more against the Arizona Cardinals, as well as their best pressure rate performance of the season thus far. It wouldn’t at all surprise me to see Colts general manager Chris Ballard pick up the phone to bring in additional help ahead of the trade deadline on November 4th, though Indy’s quick deterioration at cornerback convinces me they’d look to raise the floor of that room before attempting to raise the ceiling of this defense’s pass rush.
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