“He brings an element of speed to the group,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “He’s a good cover guy, sticky, he’s fearless. He was on Tyreek (Hill) a couple times and he didn’t flinch. So, we went into the game knowing that we couldn’t let No. 17 (Jaylen Waddle) and No. 10 (Hill) do what they normally do. And fortunately, we were able to do that. He was a big part of that.”
The other guy who could factor here is undrafted rookie Johnathan Edwards, who was inactive for Week 1 but earned his way on to the Colts’ roster with an impressive training camp and preseason.
“I think he did a lot of really good things this preseason,” general manager Chris Ballard said in August. “He’s big, he’s a good athlete, he can run, he’s conscientious, he’s tough. There’s a lot of great qualities that I think Edwards has.”
Taking out those end-of-the-game garbage time snaps – after the Colts and Dolphins pulled a handful of their starters, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa – the Colts’ defense allowed the lowest passer rating (38.1) in the NFL in Week 1. And while Broncos quarterback Bo Nix managed just a 60.0 passer rating in Denver’s season opener against the Tennessee Titans, his 93.3 passer rating in 2024 – the fourth-highest mark for a rookie quarterback with 10+ starts in the last five seasons.
And Nix’s head coach, of course, is Sean Payton – one of the most widely-respected offensive minds not just in the NFL today, but in NFL history. The Colts’ secondary, no matter who’s playing, will have to be up to the challenge on Sunday.
“(Payton’s) been doing it at a high level for so long,” Anarumo said. “He’s just always changing within the game – going to have things specific to your team that he’s playing against. Does just a great job calling the game and trying to keep you off balance. Ultimate respect there for sure.”
Thursday’s practice report