We're back with another edition of The Colts Show Mailbag, where I'll answer listener, viewer and reader questions here on Colts.com every week.
You can submit your questions to me a few ways: At Colts.com/Mailbag, on social media (like X and Instagram) and in the YouTube comments for the podcast. Be sure to get your questions in, since I'll get to one on next Tuesday's podcast edition of The Colts Show.
On this week's podcast, I answered a question from Tim Cook about how the Colts can rebound from their current two-game losing streak. I was also joined on the pod by Colts wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, who has a fascinating story of going from being a five-star recruit to college standout to first-round pick to, now, a core special teams player. You can get the podcast on all major podcast platforms including:
Let's dive into the rest of this week's batch of questions:
Isaac Hunsberger (Fort Wayne, Ind.): Our O-Line was the best in the league for the first 6-7 weeks of the year. They gave up 3 sacks to the Titans, 5 vs the Steelers, 7 vs Atlanta, none to the chiefs, but got no push in the run game. Against Houston the run game has been very spotty. What changed? What do we need to do to play at that level again?
JJ Stankevitz: There are some underlying things here that I think are important to contextualize, and a lot of it involves the blitz. Since Week 9, the Colts have allowed the sixth-lowest pressure rate in the NFL (26.3 percent) when not facing a blitz; they're 30th in pressure rate allowed when facing a blitz (52.5 percent).
The point here is sorting out blitzes is not solely an offensive line thing – it takes all 11 players on the field. Of course, it takes all five offensive linemen communicating properly and picking up their assignments; it also takes a running back being physical and in the right place in pass protection; it takes pass-catchers getting into their routes on time and creating separation; and it takes the quarterback getting the ball out to the right player quickly.
These are fixable issues for Shane Steichen and his coaching staff. From a pass protection standpoint, it'd be more concerning if the Colts' offensive line was getting beat by four-man rushes. That's not happening, which is good news.
Also, the Colts since Week 9 are still 12th in rushing yards before contact per attempt; from Weeks 1-8, they were...12th. The issue has been negative runs: Since Week 9, the Colts have had nine rushing attempts (excluding kneel-downs) lose yardage, which is tied for the second-highest total in that span. Watching the film of those, most are the product of linebackers playing downhill and running into the backfield untouched, which is something the Colts do have to clean up. But it's not necessarily because this offensive line is getting beat over and over again.
The point here being: It's not a talent issue at all, which lends itself to solutions existing with the starting five the Colts have rolled out all year. That's a good thing. We'll see if the Colts' offense can start to find those solutions soon – since opposing defenses are going to continue to attack them with what's worked for the Steelers, Falcons, Chiefs and Texans in recent weeks.
Mark (New York): The refs didn't help Indy on the lose to Texans. With 3 bad calls within a couple plays. On the extra point attempt that appeared to be wide left by the Texans really cost the colts putting them down by 4. Why can't they put a laser on top of the goalposts to show if it's inside the uprights. If they can do virtual measurements for first downs they should be able to do that.
JJ Stankevitz: It's a fair question. I did just want to point out, though, that the most infamous "was it good?" kick in NFL history also went against the Colts.
Sixty years ago, the NFL's two powers were the Baltimore Colts and Green Bay Packers. From 1964-1970, every NFL championship was contested by the Colts or Packers except for Super Bowl IV; Don Shula vs. Vince Lombardi was one of the great coaching rivalries around the dawn of the Super Bowl.
In 1965, the final year before the Super Bowl debuted, the Colts and Packers finished the season each with 10-3-1 records, requiring a one-game playoff for the right to place the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship. The game was played at Lambeau Field and was a mess: The Colts were without star quarterback Johnny Unitas and backup quarterback Gary Cuozzo due to injuries, forcing running back Tom Matte to play quarterback for the entire game. The Packers lost future Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr on the field play of the game, too.
The Colts were clinging to a 10-7 lead with under two minutes left when Packers kicker Don Chandler attempted a 22-yard game-tying field goal. Did it go in? You be the judge. Watch the reaction of Chandler (No. 34) on it. Anyways, the kick was called good, the Packers tied the game and won it in overtime. A year later, the NFL extended the height of its goalposts to 20 feet.
Justin Rogers (Indianapolis): It's not really a question, it's more of desperation to stop doing it. Winning the coin toss and receiving the ball is putting us at a disadvantage before the game even starts and let's not even talk about overtime. Chiefs and Texans had chances for 2 for 1 and both ate up like 8 minutes of the third quarter before our offense could touch the ball. Is it sole factor in losses, of course not, but it's not helping. I find myself desperately hoping we lose the coin toss so at least it's not self-sabotage. I love this team so much and still have optimism but we can't give out advantages before the game starts. Thank you!!
JJ Stankevitz: I can see where Justin is coming from here, but this strategy has worked for the Colts this year. When the Colts have had the ball to open a game, this has been the result of that drive:
- Week 1: Field goal
- Week 2: Field goal
- Week 4: Interception
- Week 5: Punt
- Week 6: Touchdown
- Week 7: Touchdown
- Week 8: Field goal
- Week 10: Turnover on downs
- Week 12: Punt
- Week 13: Punt
I don't think there's much causation or correlation here. Shane Steichen is going to be aggressive, and that mindset has in large part benefitted the Colts' offense this season.
Tom Crandall (Columbus, Ind.): What is the latest on the place kicker situation?
JJ Stankevitz: The Colts signed ex-New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe (pronounced GROUP-ee) to their practice squad on Wednesday, and he'll move forward as the team's kicker – Grupe can be elevated to the active roster from the practice squad up to three times before he would have to be signed to the 53-man roster to play.
Grupe in 2025 made 18 of 26 field goal attempts (69.2 percent); he missed two attempts from 30-39 yards, three attempts from 40-49 yards and three attempts from 50+ yards. Grupe, though, made all 15 of his PATs, and prior to this year, he had connected on 83.8 percent of his his field goal tries. The familiarity Grupe has with Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason – who was his special teams coordinator in 2022 at Notre Dame – does matter here.
The baseline for the Colts is having their kicker not miss PATs, as Michael Badgley did three times prior to being waived on Tuesday.
