Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo earned criticism for his personnel decisions in the Indianapolis Colts' 41-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Indianapolis Colts’ defense is off to a horrid start to the 2026 season, as the unit currently ranks 27th in Expected Points Added (EPA) per play allowed and 29th in EPA per rush allowed in the Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
While it’s only a one-game sample size, and there is still plenty of time to right the ship, the result from Sunday offers plenty of reason for concern going forward.
The most notable concerns are some of the personnel decisions on defense. Whether it was not playing a rookie linebacker who likely would have been better than what was out there on Sunday or playing a rookie safety a bit too much after his ankle injury, there were a few questionable decisions that went into this game plan.
The biggest surprises were the total lack of playing time for safety Hunter Wohler and rookie linebacker CJ Allen. Allen’s restriction was somewhat expected, as the Colts said that his snaps would be limited as he got up to speed following offseason injuries, but it’s hard to see how his play could have been much worse than the product on the field Sunday.
The Colts allowed 202 rushing yards and 5.5 yards per carry against the Ravens. Linebacker Jaylon Carlies, the starter at weakside linebacker, looked lost on most of his run fits, Bryce Boettcher missed multiple tackles, and Akeem Davis-Gaither struggled with his zone drops off of play-action.
Even if Allen wasn’t completely ready, it’s hard to argue that he could have been worse than what the Colts threw out there on Sunday.
The more puzzling decision was starting rookie safety A.J. Haulcy over Hunter Wohler for this game. Haulcy is the more highly touted player, but he was a volatile college player with some major highs and lows in his game. His first game going against this type of rush offense simply wasn’t a smart decision, especially since Haulcy was coming off of an ankle injury the last three weeks.
Sep 13, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) leaps over Indianapolis Colts safety AJ Haulcy (25) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn ImagesThe more stable choice at strong safety would have been Wohler, a second-year player who showcased excellent run fits and tackling in the preseason. Obviously, preseason isn’t the be-all and end-all, but he has a much better track record of playing sound football than Haulcy does right now.
As a result, Haulcy’s game was riddled with mistakes. From poor run fits to missed assignments in pass coverage, the rookie looked overwhelmed. He likely would have benefited from a few plays off the field with Wohler rotating in, but that simply never happened, as he played all but one defensive snap. Maybe the Colts could have limited the Ravens to just 5.0 yards per carry with Wohler out there instead of Haulcy.
There are plenty more personnel decisions (like Jerry Tillery doubling Adetomiwa Adebawore’s snap count) and coverage decisions (leaving Justin Walley on an island in the slot against Zay Flowers with no safety help), but those two decisions were the most questionable.
After an offseason of evaluating the roster, this is what the product looked like in Week 1?
The Colts have a lot of soul-searching to do on defense, and maybe it could start with getting a few of their better young players more involved in the game plan. Clearly, Sunday's plan didn’t work at all, so a few changes like these should be in the cards going forward.
