The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From The Colts Season So Far

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The Indianapolis Colts are currently on their bye week, getting some much-needed rest after a long start to the season. 

Sitting at 6-7, the team still finds itself in the playoff hunt, though it will likely need to win out to have a legitimate chance. All the games are winnable on paper, but that’s no guarantee the Colts will get it done, especially considering how this team has played at times throughout the season. Still, despite everything that has happened, including frustrating losses and a surprise benching, they have everything in front of them.  

On that note, let’s look at what has been good about the Colts season, what’s been bad, and what’s been downright ugly. 

The Good 

Josh Downs – In his 2nd season in the NFL, Downs has emerged as the Colts go-to receiver, especially with Michael Pittman Jr dealing with lingering back issues. Downs has built on a strong rookie year and has caught 53 passes for 594 yards and 4 touchdowns in 10 total games played.  

Alec Pierce – In 13 games, Pierce has already set career highs in receiving yards (645) and touchdowns (4). He has clearly benefited from playing with strong-armed quarterbacks like Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco, who are able to take advantage of Pierce’s speed and ability to track down the deep ball. After 2 seasons of middling production, Pierce is coming into his own in Year 3. 

Anthony Richardson (Post-Benching) – In the 3 games since Richardson returned to the starting lineup, we have seen him look a lot more like the player the Colts drafted him to be. His passing can still be erratic, but if he got some more help from some of his pass catchers (more on that below) his box score would look a lot better than it does. The Colts have also utilized his legs to much greater effect since his return, especially in the redzone; after only having one rushing touchdown through six games, Richardson has found the endzone on the ground three times in the last three weeks on the ground. The Colts are 2-1 since his return, with the two wins coming on game-winning drives where Richardson put the team on his back and led them to victory. Those wins may not have come against good teams, but if you’re a Colts fan, you’ll take it. 

Shane Steichen (Post-Benching) – This is almost entirely tied into how he has managed Richardson since he regained the starting role. As I mentioned above, we have seen more emphasis placed on using Richardson in the running game and getting him out in space. This is the type of offense Colts fans expected to see at the start of the season. 

Jonathan Taylor – The Colts running game with Taylor had been in a bit of a slide before their game against the Patriots, as 3 of their last 4 games prior had seen him finish with under 60 yards. That being said, Taylor has still put up 804 yards and 5 touchdowns in 186 attempts, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Taylor may no longer be in the “Best Running Back” debate, but he’s still a productive player that makes the Colts offense better.  

The Bad 

Anthony Richardson (Pre-Benching) – A lot has been written about the decision to send Richardson to the bench for two weeks following the infamous “tap out” against Houston, but no matter what side of that argument you fall on, there is no denying that Richardson had not played well leading up to it. He had flashes and moments, like in Week 1 against the Texans, but he also had games like the one against the Dolphins, where he finished 10-of-24 for 129 yards, and the “tap out” game against Houston, where he went 10-of-32 for 1 touchdown and 1 pick.  

Shane Steichen (Pre-Benching) – Once again, this one is tied at the hip with Richardson. Before sending him to the bench, it seemed like Steichen was trying to protect Richardson from injury by using him as a dropback passer, and not letting him do what he does best, which is run. We all saw the results, and they weren’t good. While we can give kudos for making the switch in philosophy, one does have to wonder why Steichen didn’t make the change sooner.  

Adonai Mitchell – It’s been a rough rookie season for the talented receiver out of Texas. He has only caught 20 passes for 254 yards and has yet to score his first NFL touchdown. There were high expectations for Mitchell in his first season, as many had him as a 1st-round talent that fell to the Colts in the 2nd. Instead, he has struggled with some drops and has been called out for having “alligator arms”, or not fully committing to making the catch when he knows a hit is coming his way. You can see the talent is there, especially with his ability to get separation, but so far it hasn’t shown up on the stat sheet.  

The Defense – The Colts defense has been a hard group to get a read on. Some weeks, like against the Jets, they’ll shut down an offense for an entire half and get multiple turnovers. Then, they’ll follow that up with a game like they had against the Patriots, allowing a bad New England offense to march up and down the field on them. You could make an honest argument that the unit belongs in the “Ugly” category. There have been some bright spots; Jaylon Jones and Nick Cross come to mind, but overall, the Colts defense is ranked 17th in points and 29th in yards. It would not be surprising to see major changes here once the season ends. 

The Ugly 

The Tight Ends – Without a doubt, this is the weakest position group the Colts have. Week in and week out, it seems like the only time we hear a Colts tight end get his name called is when he drops a pass. Veteran Mo Alie Cox leads the group with only 11 receptions; Kylen Granson, the “receiving” tight end of the group, is next with 7. That is just not good enough, so don’t be shocked if this room looks entirely different next season. 

During the Tuesday edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke to Greg Rakestraw from the Colts Fifth Quarter about the Colts, the Indiana Hoosiers and a lot more! Check out that and JMV’s conversation with Jeremiah Johnson of Pacers Television down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan! 

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From The Colts Season So Far was originally published on 1075thefan.com