INDIANAPOLIS — No one saw it coming. Under Matt Eberflus the Indianapolis Cotls hardly ever played man-to-man defense. From the day he took the helm as defensive coordinator in 2018 until that fateful Week 5 matchup last season against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Colts played zone defense at the highest clip in the NFL (80%), according to Pro Football Focus.
The result was supposed to be a Sunday night bloodbath at Arrowhead. Reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes historically had carved up zone defenses and was expected to do the same against a Colts unit playing without three starters (Darius Leonard, Malik Hooker, Clayton Geathers), along with key reserves Rolan Milligan and Tyquan Lewis.