INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — There was a lot that went wrong for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in their 27-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Turnovers. Penalties. Pass protection; all were contributing factors. However, the Rams' offense also simply had answers for a test in which the Colts' defense was underprepared.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford is widely regarded as one of the top players at his position in the NFL, and at his disposal are two of the league's best receivers in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. The Colts are equipped with a cornerback in Charvarius Ward Sr., who they've deemed worthy of shadowing top receivers. Ward's fellow starting corner is 32-year-old Xavien Howard, who has earned a reputation throughout his career as a takeaway machine, but has been repeatedly (and successfully) targeted by offenses this season.
While both Nacua and Adams are high-end receivers, Nacua is eight years younger, and bigger, faster, and stronger; notably, the player you'd want your top cornerback covering if you're the Colts.
Rather than have Ward shadow Nacua, instead, Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo spread the coverage a bit more, with Ward actually drawing Adams more often than not, while Howard frequently lined up against Nacua.
Nacua went off.
“Credit to those guys," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said after the game. "I think those guys got really good receivers, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are really good players, so credit to them, but we'll go back and look at the tape.”
Nacua caught 13 of the 15 balls Stafford threw his way for a career-high 170 yards and the game-tying touchdown, late in the fourth quarter. Howard was in coverage on that touchdown, just as he was on the 25-yard catch by Adams earlier in the drive that helped the Rams get comfortably into Indianapolis territory.
According to Pro Football Focus, Howard was actually in coverage for much of Los Angeles' successes on Sunday, surrendering seven catches on 10 targets, resulting in 112 yards, a touchdown, and six first downs.
We won't gloss over the fact that Nacua is elite, maybe even the best receiver in the NFL. He does this to most opponents — he's currently tied for the most receptions through the first four weeks of a season in NFL history — but this is a trend for Howard, regardless of opponent.
In Week 2, the Denver Broncos had a good idea of where to attack the Colts' defense, as Howard gave up 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns on eight targets and was penalized three times. He was only targeted twice the following week, but was called for another penalty.
At Howard's age and having the level of performance that he's having, Steichen was asked whether there would be changes coming at the quarterback position moving forward, and he didn't flat-out decline the idea.
“Look, he's been a hell of a player in this league for a long time," Steichen said of Howard. "But obviously, we'll go back and look at the tape, and we evaluate everything, and it starts with me.”
Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.
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