The Indianapolis Colts fell to 8-3 on Sunday after a tough overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. What are the implications from this?

Overall, the Colts are having a great 2025 season, especially compared to their previous four seasons. This 8-3 start is the best start the team has had through 12 weeks since 2009 when they began undefeated. Needless to say, the panic button should not be hit nor should there be any panic surrounding this team. Both the offense and defense have taken massive strides and there is real belief that this team can win the division and win in the playoffs.

This being said, though, there does need to be concern and caution in Indianapolis right now. This juggernaut of an offense got exposed on Sunday, and in all three losses, the offense has been exposed. What is the issue? Simply put, the issue is that the Colts put the ball in Daniel Jones’ hands and take the ball away from Jonathan Taylor. This is evident in all three losses so far this season.

Jonathan Taylor’s lack of involvement in the offense is unacceptable, especially when the Colts had a lead in the fourth quarter. The evidence is clear. The Colts need to retain their identity as an offense with these two important facts.

Daniel Jones Is Not that Guy

There is no question that Daniel Jones is having the best season of his career. He has shocked the entire NFL world, and has probably shocked a lot of people within the Colts organization. Needless to say, Jones is a key contributor the Colts success but he is not their savior, like Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck was. Jones is not that guy.

Now, Jones has shown that he can make a crucial fourth down throw, and lead the team for a game winning drive like he did against the Atlanta Falcons. However, this is not something that the Colts should be thrusting upon him every week. He is not that guy. Jones greatly benefits from the success around him. When the running game is going, Jones can utilize play-action, RPOs, and slice up a defense easily. However, if the running game is non-existent and the offense is one-dimensional, Jones doesn’t execute anywhere near as well. This was evident on Sunday and it has been evident in all three losses.

Some quarterbacks are able to operate in a one-dimensional way, by throwing 40+ times each game and carrying the team on their backs. Daniel Jones is just not that guy right now. He needs the supporting cast and needs to feed off of that. In the fourth quarter on Sunday, Steichen had Jones throw the ball eight times in which he only completed two of them for 13 yards. In this quarter, the Colts went three-and-out on three straight drives. Subsequently, Steichen only ran Taylor once during those drives as he decided to put the ball in Jones’ hands. This was a mistake.

Jonathan Taylor Is the Colts Best Playmaker

Jonathan Taylor has been nothing short of sensational this season and is having an MVP-like performance. Unfortunately, he was heavily under-utilized on Sunday and it showed. As mentioned, Taylor ran the ball one time in the fourth quarter and that is simply unacceptable. In Sunday’s game, Taylor averaged 3.6 yards per carry with a long run of 27 yards. He also had a couple of catches on three targets.

It does need to be pointed out that the Chiefs were one of the best run defenses in the league and had not allowed a 100-yard rusher all year. They were able to shut down Taylor, but that does not excuse the Colts from completely abandoning the run. Even if the run average isn’t there, the Colts needed to run the clock and wear out the Chiefs defensive line. That did not happen in the fourth quarter. The Colts possessed the ball for a grand total of 3:14 and only gained 6 total yards.

Shane Steichen’s whole philosophy is to “throw to score points and run to win”. The Colts managed that first part in the first three quarters. However, in the critical fourth quarter, the running attack was nowhere to be found. The Colts have a big division stretch in the next two weeks. If they want to maintain their lead in the AFC South, they must rely heavily on the run and commit to Steichen’s offensive philosophy. Jonathan Taylor needs to get more carries as he is their best playmaker and their MVP.