The Indianapolis Colts have become something of an offensive force and will take their high-flying show to Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday to face the Los Angeles Rams.
Off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2009, the Colts are rolling behind new quarterback Daniel Jones, who is third in the NFL with 816 passing yards. Jones has just three touchdown passes but has not thrown an interception and has been sacked just twice.
Indianapolis is tied for second in the NFL with 34.3 points per game.
The Colts’ defense is seventh with 272.3 yards allowed, while their four sacks last weekend led the way in a 41-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans that included 102 yards and three touchdowns from running back Jonathan Taylor.
Indianapolis sealed its most recent victory on Taylor’s 46-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter that gave them a 34-13 lead.
Free from a six-year run with the New York Giants, Jones has flashed the potential that made him the sixth overall draft pick in 2019.
“Most of it is the communication and me just trying to listen and understand what he wants done,” Jones said of his relationship with head coach Shane Steichen. “He’s aggressive and on the attack (as a play caller) and likes to force the issue and take advantage of things we’ve prepared for.”
The Colts were without cornerback Kenny Moore II (Achilles), wide receiver Alec Pierce (concussion), guard Matt Goncalves (toe), defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (back) in practice Wednesday. Cornerback Mike Hilton, who signed Monday, could be ready to make his Colts debut.
The Rams (2-1) were on their way to a third victory in three games before a second-half collapse during a 33-26 loss at Philadelphia last Sunday.
Conservative on second down in the second half and ineffective on third down throughout the game, the Rams looked nothing like the team that had a 19-7 lead at halftime.
Los Angeles had just 144 net yards in the second half, while its solid defense gave up 19 points after halftime. Another touchdown came on an Eagles blocked field goal and return to the end zone on the final play of the game.
On special teams, kicker Joshua Karty had two field goals blocked, including the 44-yarder that would have won the game as time expired.
“We turned the page on Monday,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “There’s a lot of good things we can learn from it … and I was proud as hell of our football team.”
Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford was 19-of-33 passing for a season-low 196 yards. The Rams did have a season-high 160 rushing yards with a season-best 94 from Kyren Williams.
“Kyren was an unbelievable tone setter for us,” Stafford said. “His play with the football was great. His play without the football was probably better, which is tough to say because the guy ran the ball great.”
With four sacks against the Eagles, the Rams are tied for the NFL lead with 12. The defense is also fifth in the NFL with 268.3 yards allowed per game.
Los Angeles is the only NFL team in the top five in both yards allowed on defense per game (268.3) and yards gained on offense per contest (363.7).
The Rams were without wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) and right tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle) but the absences were more akin to veteran rest days. Left guard Steve Avila (ankle), who hasn’t played since Week 1, was limited.
