Sep 28, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen meets with Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay following the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

'Biggest Hole' in Colts' Gameplan vs Rams Revealed

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Drake Wally | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The Indianapolis Colts dropped an absolute heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Rams to fall to 3-1, removing them from the realm of the undefeated.

Both the offense and defense had their own faults to take on for the 27-20 loss, but ESPN believes one specific player was the biggest hole in Indy's game plan against Los Angeles. That player is veteran cornerback Xavien Howard.

"Cornerback Xavien Howard was no match for Nacua, something the Colts should have anticipated coming into the game. Nacua repeatedly beat Howard on in-breaking routes, getting inside position on the veteran who was a late addition in the preseason after a year out of football in 2024. If Moore's injury lingers, the Colts will need to consider a lineup change."

The Colts played a lot of man coverage on third down yesterday. When the Rams targeted anybody besides Xavien Howard on those third down calls, they converted went 0-5 on conversions.

When targeting Howard, they converted all 4 attempts
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) September 29, 2025

Slot cornerback Mike Hilton was brought up to help patch up the void left behind after Kenny Moore II missed the game against the Rams due to an Achilles injury. While Hilton played well considering he joined the squad at the last second, Howard can't say the same.

Howard was decimated yet again and has looked awful in coverage this year in a Colts uniform. But against the Rams and the NFL's best receiver, Puka Nacua, Howard was exposed to the highest degree.

Puka Nacua 13 REC, 170 YDS, 1 TD vs IND Week 4 2025 https://t.co/pIYOhsPaYt pic.twitter.com/QhPVsuBgtN
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) September 29, 2025

Nacua roasted the Colts' secondary and made Howard look far, far removed from his prime on Sunday. Nacua finished with his best game of the year so far, hauling in 13 catches on 15 targets for 170 receiving yards and a touchdown.

As for Howard, he finished with a lackluster Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 35.2 and overall defensive mark of 37.3. In short, it's time for Lou Anarumo to consider a new starter. The next cornerback up would be undrafted rookie free agent Johnathan Edwards.

Edwards would likely have growing pains, but given what we've seen from Howard this year, anything is an improvement. Howard has simply become a liability and looks like he's at the very end of his nine-year NFL career.

Indianapolis can't continue to allow this glaring weakness to show with Howard. Unless the four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro (one First-Team, another Second-Team) can figure things out, Indy must think about replacing him somehow.

He's slower than the receivers he's covering, behind the eight-ball in coverage, and is a liability for the defense. Yes, wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and the overall penalties didn't help the Colts against the Rams, but Howard was almost as bad as Mitchell's duo of gaffes.

We'll see what the Colts decide to do with Howard and the cornerback situation as Moore continues to heal up and the Las Vegas Raiders matchup approaches for Week 5.