setting up the Colts game + broadcast map

Jim Youngblood 53@53_jim70721
In 2025 Rams shown they can stop the run.
Also, in 2025, they do 3rd and long well

Colts run well …
Colts, IMO, don’t do 3rd and long well.

Rams IOL (with injuries) not match for Colts IDL

SleeperNFL@SleeperNFL
Puka Nacua among league WRs through Week 3:

🔹35 targets (1st)
🔹29 receptions (1st)
🔹111 YDS/G (1st)
🐏24.5 FP/G (1st)

Tied for most targets so far this season? Chris Olave

Colts are 2nd in offensive yards and 2nd in offensive points. On defense, they are 7th in yards and 9th in points. Their weakness is run D where they are 24th in yards per carry allowed, though that may have a little bit to do with the fact that in 2 games (Miami and Tennessee) they were always ahead on the scoreboard so defended the pass more than the run.

Jonathan Taylor is getting 5.6 yards a rushing attempt and is as much of a challenge as Barkley was last week.

Jim Youngblood 53@53_jim70721
Rams IOL will be challenged — if it’s Limmer, Dedich or a banged up Dotson. Shelton, well, he’s often challenged by everyone.

But Rams have to stop the run like vs Philly. They are very good and 3rd and short/medium. Less so for 3rd and long. If they get to 4th, they’ll go

8 stats and facts to know for Rams vs. Colts in Week 4
The Rams face a big test this weekend against the 3-0 Colts, who have punted just 1 time this season

Cameron DaSilva

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2025/09/24/rams-colts-stats-facts-preview-week-4/86326355007/?taid=68d41a68580abb0001fcc959&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

Ahead of this highly anticipated matchup, here are eight stats and facts to know for Sunday’s game.

Colts have fewest punts to start a season since 1940

The Colts could’ve made punter Rigoberto Sanchez a healthy scratch in the first three games because he’s only punted one time this season. The Colts’ one punt through three games is the fewest by a team to start a season since 1940, showing just how efficient the offense has been thus far.

Rams have worst pass-blocking grade in NFL, Colts are 2nd

According to Pro Football Focus, the Rams’ pass protection has been the worst in the NFL. They have a grade of 37.4 in that department so far this season, lower than every other team.

The Colts, meanwhile, have the second-highest pass-blocking grade at 71.6. The Broncos are miles ahead of everyone else with a grade of 79.3, but the Colts are the next-closest team.

Rams are tied for NFL lead with 12 sacks

As expected, the Rams have had one of the best pass rushes in football. They have 12 sacks in just three games, which is tied with the Broncos for the most in the NFL. Their 93 sack yards are also the most of any team, with an 11.5% sack rate that ranks third in football.

Colts have 4th-worst pass-rush win rate

The Rams’ pass rush is outstanding, but the same can’t be said about the Colts’. In fact, they have one of the lowest pressure rates and pass-rush win rates in the league. According to Pro Football Reference, the Colts’ 15.9% pressure rate is the fifth-worst of any team.

ESPN has the Colts with a pass-rush win rate of only 25%, which is 29th in the league – or fourth-worst. Matthew Stafford should have time to find open receivers without dealing with too much pressure in the pocket.

Teams are just 2-for-5 on FGs against Colts

Teams have not had much success kicking field goals against the Colts. Opponents are only 2-for-5 on field goal attempts when facing the Colts this season, with one of those kicks being blocked.

Wil Lutz of the Broncos missed a 42-yarder in Week 2, while Joey Slye missed a 64-yarder last week before having a 62-yard attempt blocked. So really, teams have only missed one reasonable attempt against the Colts this season, but with the Rams coming off a game where two FGs were blocked, they must be on high alert because the Colts will be looking to get their hands on each kick.

Colts have worst red zone defense in NFL, 7th-worst offense

The Rams rank 23rd in the league with a red zone touchdown rate of just 46.2% on offense this season, showing how badly they’ve struggled when getting inside the 20-yard line. They could improve that number this week when they face the worst red zone defense in football.

The Colts have allowed six red zone trips by their opponents and on all six drives, they scored touchdowns. They’re the only team in the NFL to allow a 100% touchdown rate in the red zone this season.

Rams own best starting field position differential of any team

Rams offensive possessions start at their own 35.1-yard line on average this season, the best starting field position of any team. They’ve been equally good at pinning opponents deep, ranking second in the NFL with an average starting position allowed of the 25.2-yard line.

That means on average, the Rams have 10 yards better of starting field position, the best in the league. The Colts have the third-worst average starting field position (33.8) in football.

Matthew Stafford averages more yards per game vs. Colts than all but 2 opponents

Stafford has faced the Colts five times in his career, going 3-2 in those games. He averages 317.2 passing yards per game against Indianapolis, which is the third-best mark he has against other team. The only teams he averages more yards per game against are the Lions (325.5 in two games) and Steelers (338.7 in three games).

from https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/FMfcgzQcpwnHxcHGGcVltljKWWPRSMpg

IND: Jonathan Taylor leading in YAC
Source: ProFootballReference.com

Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL with 215 yards after contact through three weeks.

Our view: Taylor is the centerpiece of what the Colts do on offense, and he’s one of the best in the league. In addition to what he does after contact, Taylor is no.4 in the NFL with 123 yards before contact. He’s going to gash you through the gap, then he’s going to bash you upon contact….sounds just like Taylor’s game.

mcvay’s debut as an nfl head coach was a 46–9 blowout of the colts, it was the third-largest margin of victory and the second-highest point total the rams have ever put up against the colts in their 46 matchups dating back to 1953… mcvay is 3-0 vs the colts as the rams hc. pic.twitter.com/3muybiOUnz

— roberto clemente (@rclemente2121) September 26, 2025

The Rams' run defense has a shot to legitimize itself on Sunday.

Jonathan Taylor brings the same threat as Saquon Barkley, but the difference is he's gotten rolling already, with more rushing yards than 17 *teams*

Inside the matchup (and other ones):https://t.co/wjG6TyFyOI

— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) September 26, 2025

…

Rams defense will again be tested against Daniel Jones and surging Colts

By Nate Atkins

[link above]

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — Through three weeks, the only team in the NFL that has punted just once is the Indianapolis Colts.

They have lit up the scoreboard for 33, 29 and 41 points, respectively, and are 3-0 for the first time since 2009. And now, they present an early test the Los Angeles Rams didn’t know was coming.

Sunday’s game at SoFi Stadium was supposed to be a breather in a gauntlet of an early schedule that includes four road trips in six weeks, including last Sunday’s battle in Philadelphia against the defending champion Eagles, a Week 6 trip to Baltimore to face the Ravens and a trip to London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7. The Rams also have a Thursday night home game against the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers next week.

It’s a unique game for me, as the Colts were the team I covered for the past four seasons, including this year’s training camp, before joining The Athletic to cover the Rams beat.

The Rams heard all about the nightmare of stopping Saquon Barkley last week. It was everything they couldn’t do the previous season, when he ripped off the two best rushing games of his career. Barkley’s four different touchdown runs of at least 60 yards inspired the only changes Los Angeles made on defense in the offseason, when it signed linebacker Nate Landman and defensive tackle Poona Ford so it could live with fewer defenders in the box.

The Rams passed the test last week, holding Barkley to 46 yards on 18 carries, marking his worst rushing total with the Eagles.

Jonathan Taylor is also a former rushing champion, but unlike Barkley, he’s off to a strong start this season. With 338 yards, he has outrushed 17 different NFL teams. He also hit the league’s highest speed for a ball carrier this season at 22.38 mph, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

“He’s a home-run hitter,” Rams defensive end Jared Verse said of Taylor. “You give him a gap, he’s going to take it to the house.”

The Colts have mostly thrown early in games to set up Taylor as the finishing act, but the Rams will be focusing on the All-Pro running back.

“There’s a lot of times, just watching on film, where he’s able to run scot-free up to the second level,” Rams defensive end Kobie Turner said. “That’s a credit to their O-line. They have a good O-line down there that doesn’t get as much credit as the Eagles, because the Eagles won the big one last year. He’s a super explosive back, similar to Saquon. He’s able to hit home runs.

“At the end of the day, we can’t let him get up to the second level free. We have to make him make a cut in the backfield.”

Taylor has consistently been effective on the field, as evidenced by his third consecutive season of over 1,100 rushing yards, achieved while playing at least 14 games. However, what has changed the Colts’ rushing attack this season is their ability to get out of predictable run-and-pass scenarios.

Last season, the Colts didn’t trust Taylor to pass protect and taking him off the field was a signal they were passing. They also signaled runs and passes based on which single-trait tight end they played, whereas first-round rookie Tyler Warren brings the dual-threat skill set to blur that vision from the huddle.

A surging Daniel Jones

The story of this resurgence has followed the one at quarterback.

A year after his release by the New York Giants, Jones enters Week 4 ranked third in the league with 816 passing yards, fifth with a 71.6 percent completion rate and third with a 111.7 quarterback rating — and he has yet to throw an interception. He’s played with a blend of the playmaking as a runner and downfield passer that he flashed as a first-round rookie in 2019, with the efficiency that once earned him a significant contract extension before things fell apart.

The key is that he’s handling pressure better than ever before. Whereas he had a 40.9 percent success rate against the blitz in his first six seasons, he has increased that number this season to 59.6 percent, which ranks second in the league, according to NFL Pro.

The Rams have gotten key sacks in two of the first three games from safety Jaylen McCollough, but they will have to pick their spots this week now that Jones has so many targets at his disposal, and now that Taylor is showing tremendous growth in pass protection.

“We put some stuff on tape to show teams that we blitz and we’re an aggressive outlook on defense, so it’s about playing and using that to our advantage,” McCollough said. “We’re going to blitz, and we’re going to play our game. That’s just how it is.”

The Rams have a legitimate four-man pass rush. They can stay creative with overload pressures from Verse, Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart, Turner and Braden Fiske, and by rotating the matchups on the edges between Verse and Young, as well as Colts tackles Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith. Indianapolis doesn’t chip the edges as much as other teams, as it prefers to operate in 11-personnel and utilize Warren as one of its primary receivers.

One approach could be working stunts on the right side interior, where Indianapolis will either start guard Matt Goncalves, who has a toe injury, or 2024 undrafted player Dalton Tucker, who struggles in space.

“The whole name of the game for defensive linemen is, how can you affect the quarterback?” Turner said. “Are you getting in his head, making you feel his presence the entire game? He’s also sneaky fast. I didn’t realize how fast he was until we turned on the tape this week. …

“The big point for us, honestly, is earning the right. We have a tremendous amount of trust in what we can do on third down, and when we get them into known passing downs, but you have to earn the right. We have to stop their running game that has been firing on all cylinders.”

Colts’ spread-the-ball approach

The Rams’ pass rush is their engine for surviving the loss of top outside cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who brought a balance of physicality and playmaking that doesn’t exist in the same way in their other perimeter options.

Unlike the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and Eagles, the Colts don’t have an actual No. 1 outside target. Instead, they were the only team in the NFL last season with three receivers with more than 800 yards in Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce and Josh Downs.

The addition of Warren, whose 193 yards are already more than any Colts tight end last season, has made it a four-headed unit that makes it harder to know who the primary read is on a given play.

Pierce could miss the game while in concussion protocol, but 2024 second-round pick Adonai Mitchell presents an imposing skill set and is looking for his first big game in the NFL.

“I see it as a good thing for our defense because everybody is going to get an opportunity,” Rams cornerback Cobie Durant said. “When the ball is in the air, it’s see ball, get ball, our ball. We make the emphasis all about the ball and getting turnovers.”

The Rams need to keep cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. away from Pittman as much as possible, as Pittman brings a size advantage of 60 pounds on Forbes, similar to what Eagles receiver A.J. Brown had last week. A loss of Pierce would eliminate Indianapolis’ one established deep threat, as he led the NFL with 22.3 yards per catch last season.

Colts coach and play caller Shane Steichen lives to get defenses in man coverage for a variety of crossing, mesh and pick concepts. The Los Angeles secondary plays Cover 3 more than any other coverage, and the absence of Pierce could free up safety Kam Curl to offer better help on Warren.

Winning the battle against the Colts offense would go a long way toward winning the game, as the Rams should have more advantages on the other side of the ball: Colts nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II is likely to miss the game with an Achilles injury, giving wideout Puka Nacua favorable matchups if Charvarius Ward travels with Davante Adams.

Matthew Stafford will have to watch out for Camryn Bynum, who disguises his role as well as any safety and is tied for a league-high with two interceptions. The run game should insulate Stafford against a defense giving up 4.8 yards per carry, so long as the Rams can hold up to another stout interior test against three-time Pro Bowl tackle DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart.