A potentially troubling trend emerged during the Indianapolis Colts' two joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons this week.
In each practice session, the Colts' running game struggled to get going.
Following Wednesday's practice, ESPN's Stephen Holder posted on X, "Run game," followed by a thumbs-down emoji.
It doesn't sound like things got much better on Thursday. Noah Compton of SI's Horseshoe Huddle wrote that the Colts' performance on the ground on Day 2 was "arguably worse" than it was on Day 1.
Compton mentioned that whether running to the outside or up the middle, there was little room. This issue was also prevalent throughout each offensive unit.
From the sounds of it, these struggles had less to do with the Colts running backs and were more so about the play of the offensive line unit.
Tight end Mo Alie-Cox noted the speed and physicality that the Atlanta front played with.
All that said, it's not time to hit the panic button by any means. It is practice for a reason.
However, this will be worth monitoring during the early portion of the season. Consistent success for any offense begins with having a good run game to lean on. This keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations, while also opening up the playbook for Shane Steichen and the pass game.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Potentially troubling trend emerges for Colts in joint practices v. Falcons
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