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Colts trending down: Losing another opener, protecting Carson Wentz, pass defense
Nat Newell
Indianapolis Star

Each week, IndyStar will provide reasons to be optimistic and pessimistic. Here's what's trending up and (mostly) down with the Colts after Sunday's 28-16 loss to Seattle

TRENDING DOWN

Colts lose the opener
The Colts lost their eighth consecutive season opener, only Cleveland (2005-17, 13) and Philadelphia (1968-76, 9) have had longer opener losing streaks in NFL history. It's the second time the Colts have lost eight consecutive openers, also doing so from 1984-91. (Oakland, 2003-10, and Seattle, 1976-83, have also lost 8 consecutive openers.) Since adopting the 12-team playoff format in 1990, 53.4% of the teams that win the opener make the playoffs. Only 24.7% of the teams that start 0-1 get to the postseason, according to pro-football-reference.com's Stathead index.

Colts LT Julién Davenport
Colts coach Frank Reich was hopeful Eric Fisher would be ready to start at left tackle after tearing his Achilles in the AFC championship game with Kansas City last season and despite missing time due to contracting COVID-19. The Colts definitely could have used to Pro Bowler on Sunday. On third-and-5 from the Indianapolis 30-yard line, Rasheem Green beat Davenport and brought down Wentz for a 9-yard loss on the final play of the first quarter, forcing a punt. On third-and-8 and their own 17-yard line midway through the third quarter, Davenport gave up a 10-yard sack to Benson Mayowa, forcing another punt. Seattle kept Wentz under a steady stream of pressure all day, sacking him three times with 10 quarterback hits.

And it wasn't just Davenport. Right tackle Braden Smith also got run over by Darrell Taylor on a fourth-and-2 from the Seattle 18 with 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, resulting in a Wentz sack and ending the drive.

Colts pass defense
With rookie quarterbacks Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger taking most of the snaps this preseason, it was hard to get a feel for the Colts' secondary. Now we know. Safety Khari Willis was beat twice by Tyler Lockett -- not a matchup the Colts want -- hauling in an over the shoulder 23-yard pass in the end zone to take a 7-3 lead with 1:26 to play in the first quarter. Lockett then split the Colts safeties and Russell Wilson hit him for a 69-yard touchdown with 41 seconds remaining in the first half for the 21-10 lead. A fourth passing TD, this one to D.K. Metcalf in the fourth quarter, put the game out of reach. Wilson was 18-of-23 for 254 yards with four touchdowns in the game, a 152.3 passer rating.

Colts running game
Jonathan Taylor looked like an All-Pro in his final six game last season: 119 carries, 741 yards, 7 TDs. That's 6.2 yards per rush. There's also freshly-minted $18-million-man Nyheim Hines. Marlon Mack was back from a torn Achilles after a 1,000-yard season in 2019. Jordan Wilkins in the best fourth running back in the league. But Sunday, that all amounted to 94 yards on 26 carries -- a 3.6-yard average -- with a long run of 12 yards. Taylor managed just 56 yards on 17 carries, Hines 26 on 8. Mack and Wilkins didn't see the field.

TRENDING UP

Carson Wentz
The concerns coming into the season were whether Wentz could avoid turnovers and sacks. He did fumble a snap on an attempted quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 from the Seattle 31-yard line with 3:27 to play with the Colts trailing 21-10. But Wentz was solid in his Colts' debut despite being under pressure all game, completing 25-of-38 passes for 251 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, a 102.0 passer rating.

Mike Strachan
There aren't a lot of aspects of Colts football trending up after a loss like this but Mike Strachan demonstrated he can contribute with two catches for 26 yards. The history of seventh-round receivers contributing as rookies is limited to say the least. Only one since 1986 has topped 500 yards in a season (Marques Colston, 1,038 yards in 2006). With T.Y. Hilton injured, the Colts could definitely use something from Strachan and he looked up to the task Sunday.