What did the Indianapolis Colts do best during the 2024 NFL season?
Led by Jonathan Taylor they oftentimes had a strong running game to lean on. The defense also finished the season top 10 in interceptions, and the Colts had three different receivers all eclipse the 800-yard receiving mark.
However, Pro Football Network (PFN) went in a different direction, highlighting an underrated but important element when it comes to being in a position to win games: the Colts didn’t commit a lot of penalties.
According to PFN, the Colts as a team generated the third-fewest penalties per game in 2024 with 5.47. The league average was 6.44. They also saw their penalties on defense decrease by 17.4% compared to the 2023 season.
The one game last season where we really saw the penalties get out of hand for the Colts was against Detroit in Week 12. Indianapolis was penalized 10 times in that game with several negating big plays for the offense.
“It’s not a flashy strength, but it’s the type of positive note that can matter should they get the production under center that they are hoping for,” wrote PFN.
Again, this ability isn’t going to leap off the stat sheet or the TV screen by any means. But it does matter.
A lack of penalties helps keep the offense from falling behind the sticks and being put in obvious passing situations. While on defense, penalties are giving away free yards to the offense and can result in drives being extended.
Of course, there are plenty of areas where the Colts have to improve this offseason, but limiting penalties is an important element that they can hopefully continue to build off of.