INDIANAPOLIS — As the regular season approaches, the Indianapolis Colts face several unresolved questions.

Among them:

*How will defensive coordinator Gus Bradley address the uncertainty at the safety position? Julian Blackmon’s role is secure, but the Colts are still evaluating whether Nick Cross can be trusted as his partner. During Saturday night’s game against Arizona, with Blackmon resting alongside other starters, Cross played at strong safety while Rodney Thomas II took on the free safety position.

*What’s the depth chart at tight end behind Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson? And how might a toe injury affect Jelani Woods, the 2022 third-round pick, in his quest for a roster spot?

*Who will be the Colts’ backup offensive tackle if Blake Freeland continues to struggle? Last year’s fourth-round pick had a tough outing at left tackle against Arizona. On consecutive plays, Freeland stumbled while backpedaling into protection, which led to a sack of Jason Bean, and was then flagged for holding, negating a 23-yard completion.

Following their 21-13 victory over the Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium, another question arises:

*What’s going on with Matt Gay?

After making his first field goal attempt of the preseason—aa 35-yarder against Denver—GGay has developed an unfortunate tendency to miss to the left. He pulled a 54-yard attempt wide against the Broncos and did the same with 53 and 44-yard attempts against Arizona.

So, Shane Steichen, are you concerned?

“I’m not. I really am not,” he said. “He’s a professional.

“I think everything will be fine. We’ll be fine there.”

There were mitigating factors on Saturday.

Rigoberto Sanchez, the regular, reliable holder, was with his wife Cynthia at a local hospital as she gave birth to their second daughter.

Rookie kicker Spencer Shrader stepped in as the holder. According to Gay, Shrader had never held one before Saturday.

“I probably would have dropped a couple of snaps and not been able to get the ball down,” Gay said. “So, all credit to him and his athleticism for stepping in and holding the ball.”

A new rookie holder could potentially disrupt the snap, placement, and kick mechanics. However, Shrader seemed to provide Gay with a solid hold on both field goal attempts.

“The ball’s down; I’ve got to make the kick,” Gay said. “I need to be better than I was tonight, regardless of the circumstances.”

Gay noted that everything leading up to the missed kicks was fine.

“I mean, all pregame, halftime,” he said. “The kicks were really good. I’ll take some confidence from that.

“The ball’s down; I’ve got to make the kick no matter who’s holding it or what’s happening.”

General manager Chris Ballard demonstrated a commitment to strengthening the kicking game last offseason by signing Gay to a four-year, $22.5 million contract. It included $13 million in guarantees, making Gay the second-highest-paid kicker in terms of average salary at the time.

Gay earned this lucrative contract by converting 74-of-80 field goal attempts (92.5%) over three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, including a 12-of-14 record in the playoffs.

There were no issues early on in Indianapolis. Gay started last season by making 16- of 18 field goals, including a historic game in Week 3 against Baltimore. In the 22-19 overtime win, he made all five of his field goal attempts, becoming the first kicker in NFL history to make four field goals of 50+ yards in a single game: 54, 53, 53, and 53 yards. His 53-yarder with 57 seconds left in regulation forced overtime, and his 53-yarder in overtime won the game.

However, after this strong start, Gay’s accuracy declined slightly. He finished the season 17-of-23 with eight missed kicks, tying a career high. Notably, four of those misses hit the upright, and one was a blocked 60-yard attempt. Five of the eight misses were from 50+ yards.

Including the first two preseason games, Gay has made only 18 of his last 27 attempts, for a success rate of 66.7%.

That’s not good enough for a team aiming to compete for its first AFC South title since 2014.

After Gay’s miss against Denver, special teams coordinator Brian Mason said the kicker needed to “trust himself a bit more and just attack the ball.”

“He was trying to finesse and place the ball a little too much, and he knows that,” Mason said. “It’s just a small mental adjustment—tto go attack the ball and follow through, rather than trying to make the perfect kick.”

The Colts’ 9-8 record in 2023 was built on a 6-3 record in one-possession games. They were 3-1 in games decided by three points or fewer.

It’s tough to compete for a division title or playoff spot with an inconsistent kicker. The Colts experienced this in 2019, when Adam Vinatieri’s season-long struggles, exacerbated by a knee injury, derailed their playoff hopes.

“I just have to be better, especially as we prepare for Week 1 and the regular season,” Gay said. “For this team, I’ve got to make kicks.”