INDIANAPOLIS – Things have gotten very interesting on West 56th Street.
A team that flew completely under the radar during the offseason, preseason and for the first few weeks of the regular season has emerged as something that can’t be ignored.
The Indianapolis Colts are an NFL-best 7-1. They hold a 2½-game lead over Jacksonville in the AFC South and are three clear of the Houston Texans in the loss column.
There’s a different vibe permeating the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
“It’s a lot different,’’ Mo Alie-Cox said Monday.
The veteran tight end has experienced the highs and lows since signing as an undrafted rookie – a power forward at Virginia Commonwealth – in April 2017. The Colts started 1-5 in 2018 before getting their act together and earning a wild-card berth. In 2022, they saw a 3-2-1 start disintegrate into utter chaos.
And now, this.
“Everybody’s up-tempo, literally, every moment of the day,’’ Alie-Cox said. “Guys are joking around all day. Everybody’s just happy. Everybody’s bonding with each other, joking around with each other. But when we’re on the field, everybody’s locked into it.
“We understand when it’s time to be serious and get to work.’’
After dismantling the Tennessee Titans 38-14, it’s time for the front office to really get to work.
Chris Ballard already has veered from his normal roster-building ways. Remember the $60 million free-agent contracts for cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Cam Bynum? And the $14 million deal for quarterback Daniel Jones?
While there’s so much positive energy flowing from the team complex, there’s also no denying a potential weak link exists that could sabotage the pursuit of a first division title since 2014, first playoff appearance since 2020 and first trip to the Super Bowl since 2009.
Send up a flare.
Lou Anaruno’s defense needs help.
A cornerback.
An edge rusher.
Or both, if Ballard can find suitable trade partners. The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 4 – that’s a week from Tuesday – and it’s hard to imagine owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon not endorsing a move or two that would address a defense that simply hasn’t been good enough, in large part because of injuries. It ranks No. 6 in fewest points allowed (19.3) but is 24th in total yards (345.1), 29th in passing yards (252.0) and 30th in preventing third-down conversions (47.1%).
Shane Steichen’s offense has gone supernova: 1st in points (33.8), yards per game (385.3) and yards per play (6.5). The 270 points in eight games are the third-most in franchise history, four shy of 1964 Baltimore Colts. The offense has churned out four wins by at least 20 points for the first time since 2014 and just the fourth time in the Indy era.
Jones is authoring a masterful Chapter 2 to his career. Jonathan Taylor is forcing his way into the MVP discussion.
But that defense.
Injuries have crippled the cornerbacks’ room.
Ward is on the injured reserve list and must miss at least two more games with a concussion. Jaylon Jones has missed the past seven games with a hamstring injury but returned to practice last week and might be available for Sunday’s trip to Pittsburgh. Backup nickel Mike Hilton is on IR with a shoulder injury and rookie Justin Walley suffered a season-ending knee injury in training camp.
Kenny Moore II missed three games with an Achilles injury, but has returned for the past two games.
And Xavien Howard wasn’t the answer.
The flurry of injuries has forced Anarumo to dig deep down the depth chart. Mekhi Blackmon, undrafted rookie Johnathan Edwards, Cam Mitchell and Chris Lammons have been handling serious minutes.
Not surprisingly, mix-and-matching at corner hasn’t worked. The defense has allowed 999 passing yards and six TDs over the past three games.
Further compromising Anarumo’s defense has been inconsistent pressure from the edge. Kwity Paye, a 2021 first-round pick, has 3 sacks. Laiatu Latu, a 2024 first-rounder, has 2.5.
The one constant? Tackle DeForest Buckner is wreaking havoc from the interior with 4 sacks and 19 pressures.
Ballard and his staff always have personnel options at hand. Who’s on the street? Who might be available via trade if a team has seen its season spin out of control?
The only pre-deadline trade Ballard has made came in 2022 when he granted Nyheim Hines’ request for a relocation and sent him to Buffalo for Zack Moss.
Compensation must be considered, but most mid-season trades aren’t blockbuster types. Monday, the Tennessee Titans traded cornerback Roger McCreary and a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for a conditional fifth-rounder. McCreary was a 2022 second-round pick who’s started 38 games, including Sunday against the Colts.
There undoubtedly will be teams at the bottom of the 2025 NFL food chain interested in stockpiling draft picks for 2026 and beyond. Maybe Team A can be talked into parting with a viable corner. Or pass rusher. Maybe a linebacker with cover skills.
Depending on which “report’’ you trust, the 3-5 Cincinnati Bengals might be amenable to trading cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt and/or linebacker Logan Wilson, who may or may not have requested a trade. It’s not difficult connecting the dots to Anarumo, who had both during his time as Cincy’s coordinator.
Are the 2-6 Miami Dolphins shopping edge rushers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb? How about the Seattle Seahawks and corner Riq Woolen, or the 1-7 New Orleans Saints and corner Alontae Taylor?
At this point, it’s just conjecture and fuel that drives social media.
By this time next week, it needs to result in an addition to Anarumo’s defense.
There’s too much on the line to stand pat.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.