INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Turning the page and moving on to the next game after a rough outing is what must be done in the NFL, and that's what the Indianapolis Colts expect from veteran cornerback Xavien Howard this week after a performance that could've cost the team the game last Sunday in a 29-28 win over the Denver Broncos.
“That's how I work, man," Howard said on Monday. "I feel like as a cornerback, you have to have a short-term memory, just like the quarterbacks. So, plays are going to happen. Just got to move on and keep going.”
Howard was thrown at eight times and gave up all eight for receptions, yielding 78 yards (33 of those after the catch) and a pair of touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus.
The ugliest sequence for him came on one drive, however, as he was penalized three times within five plays, including a third down that would've forced the Broncos to kick a field goal. Instead, Denver scored a touchdown on that drive, giving them a 21-13 lead late in the first half.
“(Denver) attacked me with a lot of quick stuff, quick slants and stuff like ‘now’ routes," Howard described. "I knew a team was going to attack me early on in the season. I've been off a little minute, so I knew guys want to see if I still can play and stuff like that. And just on this side, just taking accountability of just – know I just got to do my job and work on my technique.”
Howard was thrust into the Colts' top cornerback spot on Sunday due to Charvarius Ward Sr. being out with a concussion. The Colts signed the 32-year-old Howard in August after he had been out of football since 2023 in the first place because of their uncommonly high rate of injuries to the cornerback room.
Perhaps showing a dissatisfaction with their depth or anticipation of more upcoming injuries, the Colts worked out six cornerbacks on Monday, including Isaiah Bolden, Tre Flowers, Keenan Garber, Daequan Hardy, Keenan Isaac, and Nik Needham.
“Yeah, I just think we knew with Mooney (Ward) being down, that X's (Howard) snaps would go up somewhat," Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo told reporters on Tuesday. "I think we knew that it was going to take him a minute to get his legs underneath him. He had a lot of good plays on Sunday. Certainly, everybody saw the ones that didn't go so well for him. But that's that position, that's that position in the NFL. I say it all the time. Everybody can see when a DB makes an error. It's very rarely does anybody on TV or in the stands see when a 3-technique gets out of his gap and a run gets through. Everybody can see when a corner has an error or gives up a big play.
"So, he'll get his legs underneath him a little at a time. He’s like I said – he had some really good plays that we were excited to see, but certainly there's things he's got to clean up. He knows that. He's a veteran guy. Can't give up the explosive play and certainly the penalties. So, we'll clean all those up. He'll just be better for it as the coming weeks will show.”
Howard and Anarumo go way back, before Indianapolis, to their days together with the Miami Dolphins and Howard's first two years in the league in 2016 and 2017. There's a mutual respect — Anarumo brought Howard in because of the Colts' injuries, and Howard agreed to come to Indy because of Anarumo — and it showed on Sunday as Anarumo knew exactly how to approach Howard amid the spiral.
“Just holding me accountable, telling me to work on my hands and stuff like that," Howard said of his and Anarumo's communication during the game about the errors. "(Why) the calls was getting thrown on me. So, just telling me I’ve got to work on my technique and stuff like that, really.”
For Howard and the Colts, it's on to the next play and on to the next game.
“Well, they were all in the same series if I'm not mistaken. So, it's hard for me to go out there and say anything to him," Anarumo said of Howard's penalties. "I don't want those guys to worry about that. It's again – in the back end, it's always got to be a next-play mentality. Because if they're worried about, ‘Well, I just gave up this. I just had a penalty here,’ They're not going to be able to play and play aggressive and do the things we want them to do.
"So, we're constantly preaching to those guys, ‘Hey, next play. Move on.’ That's what the great ones do. They move on from maybe not such a great series or a bad play.”
The Colts travel to Nashville, Tenn. this Sunday to take on the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium at 1:00 p.m. ET.
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.