Colts Offensive Line Must Improve Pass Protection

Andrew Luck shined for the Indianapolis Colts against the Chicago Bears… That is to say, when he wasn’t taking hits.

The Bears left Lucas Oil Stadium with the 23-11 victory. However, the Indianapolis Colts led 11-9 at halftime with the Colts starters playing until the last series of the first half. It wasn’t until a 14-point third quarter performance by the Bear second unit – led by former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen – that the game became out of reach for the Colts second and third-string units.

–= Related: Andrew Luck Impresses the Bears Defensive Unit =–

The same issues from last week appeared to have gone unaddressed. The defense simply could not tackle, the coverage teams abandoned their lanes allowing good field position and worst of all the offensive line was porous in pass protection. Despite playing against a team had practiced against for two days before the game.

There were some great highlights from the skill positions and some deeper concerns but the biggest takeaway is the lack of cohesion on the offensive line. They simply have not “gelled” yet and get lost on assignments far too often than a group that started nearly every single day of training camp together should.

Before we get into the constructive criticisms, let’s take a moment to look at the silver lining. After the first two possessions the Colts offensive line settled down and allowed Andrew Luck to lead them on an nine play 89-yard touchdown drive. When the Colts offensive line keeps a clean pocket things like this can happen:

Next: Colts Must Protect Luck