Insider: What's wrong with the Colts' offense? What's not?

The franchise quarterback, at times, looks lost.

The franchise receiver can't get open.

The veteran running back literally dropped the ball.

The offensive line is what we thought it was (not very good).

This, ladies and gentlemen, is your supposed juggernaut Colts offense. It is not only falling short of expectations. It is redefining the expectations themselves.

After a 20-7 loss to the New York Jets, all those lofty predictions of stratospheric offensive totals must be re-evaluated. Maybe they should be dispensed with altogether.

Surely the tens of thousands of fans who departed Lucas Oil Stadium before this game was complete agreed.

Because this Colts team wasted a valiant effort by its severely undermanned defense and blew opportunity after golden opportunity on offense. That is not what championship offenses do.

One week after a disjointed, 14-point effort in a season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Colts sank to new depths Monday night before a bewildered national audience.

What's wrong? What's not?

There is presently no chemistry in the Colts' offense. Perhaps some of that can be attributed to a lack of history together, with so many parts of this offense pieced together during the just-completed offseason. But the execution is startlingly poor. Look at quarterback Andrew Luck's first two throws to first-round pick Phillip Dorsett, for example. The first, down the seams, was thrown over Dorsett's left shoulder while he was looking over his right. The next attempt to Dorsett, in the third quarter, wasn't even in the same ZIP code, leading to an easy interception for Darrelle Revis.

The level of sloppiness is not suggestive of a team with high postseason aspirations. In fact, it is not suggestive of a team with aspirations of a winning season.

Eleven penalties, five turnovers, missed blocks galore. The Colts' miscues ran the gamut.

"Not going to beat Zionsville (High School) doing that," coach Chuck Pagano said. "Just got to take care of the football. Got to make great decisions and take care of the football. It's not that hard. It's not trigonometry."

But there's more. The widespread playmaking that was projected to be prevalent in this offense is often lacking or nonexistent.

And Luck is at the heart of that.

He looks uncomfortable in the pocket, alternately rushing throws and throwing too late. And his accuracy has been unpredictable, at best. That was most evident on the first-quarter interception Luck threw, when his throw behind Andre Johnson was tipped and picked off by safety Calvin Pryor.

"Bad throw, behind the guy," Luck said. "I missed that."

Luck finished 21 of 37 for 250 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Through two games, Luck has thrown three touchdowns and five interceptions. Last season, by contrast, Luck threw an NFL-high 40 touchdowns. And Luck's turnovers didn't end with the interceptions. He fumbled on a scramble in the third quarter. On the sort of play he makes routinely, Luck just coughed the ball up.

If there's one group that is living up to expectations, it's the offensive line. The unit faltered in the face of the Jets' relentless pass rush Monday night, leaving Luck constantly under siege and on the run. This likely played a significant role in Luck's erratic play. The guard play, particularly that of Todd Herremans, left much to be desired.

When asked whether Luck's unsettled play was a result of poor protection, Pagano didn't grant him that excuse. But in doing so, the coach also spoke to the cold reality of his offensive line in recent seasons.

"That's been the case for three years now, has it not?" he said. "He should be more comfortable dealing with what he's dealing with. We've got to get it fixed."

Then there's receiver T.Y. Hilton, who last month signed a monstrous contract extension. He struggled mightily one week after suffering a knee bruise that sidelined him for most of last week's practices. Hilton got his much-awaited one-on-one matchup with Jets All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis, and Revis won – handily. Revis was dominant at times, finishing the game with a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception. He used his trademark physical play to throw off the timing between Luck and Hilton by skillfully using his hands on Hilton at the line of scrimmage.

Hilton finished with four catches for 45 yards thanks to a late 27-yard reception.

Johnson's arrival in Indianapolis was met with much fanfare, but through two games, many questions have been raised. Johnson committed another blatant drop on Monday, one game after watching a pass go through his hands on a critical two-point conversion attempt in Buffalo.

Then running back Frank Gore, of all people, committed the night's costliest gaffe, fumbling the ball without being hit at the goal line in the third quarter. The Colts wanted to get him more work than they did last week, when he got eight carries in Buffalo. And Gore failed to make good on the opportunity.

It could be argued that the most consistent member of the offense through two games is second-year receiver Donte Moncrief, who caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown on Monday. He was the lone receiver to consistently get separation from defensive backs, including veteran Antonio Cromartie, who covered him for most of the night.

But this was never supposed to be a one-man show. This offense was supposed to be a star-studded collection of playmakers. It was supposed to be electric. It was supposed to be a lot of things.

Now, however, it's time to revamp all of those expectations. It's time to hold on to the football and make basic catches and block without holding.

Forget championship offense. The Colts need to first produce some winning offense.