Colts most to blame for Week 8 loss to Texans.
Can Anthony Richardson improve enough to rescue the 2024 season for the Colts after another ugly performance against the Texans?
The Indianapolis Colts suffered another close loss on Sunday, falling 23-20 to their division rival Houston Texans. Indianapolis is now 4-4 heading into Week 9 and is still firmly in the AFC South race. However, Sunday’s loss puts them two games behind the Texans and has them at a disadvantage in terms of a potential tiebreaker.
The Colts’ 4-4 record is fitting given how they’ve played so far this season. Indianapolis has a +3 points differential on the season, which shows just how closely they have played their opponents so far.
Indianapolis’ season is far from over, but they could desperately use a win to get them moving in the right direction again.
Are the Colts’ problems fixable? Or is the season doomed to failure?
Below we will explore the three Colts players who are most to blame for the team’s tough Week 8 loss against the Texans.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson did not look sharp, took himself out of the game at one point
Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) sacks Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) during the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium.
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Richardson had another ugly performance on Sunday, adding to a list of eyebrow-raising games this season. The second-year QB is given lots of slack considering how little experience he entered the NFL with. However, his lack of experience and consistent mistakes are becoming a significant problem for the Colts.
Richardson went 10-of-32 for 175 yards with one touchdown and one ugly interception. His 31% completion percentage is terrible and the raw accounting stats are no good either. This is especially true if you remove his 69-yard touchdown pass to Josh Downs from the equation. Without his, Richardson would have 106 passing yards on 31 attempts, which is incredibly inefficient.
He did add six carries for 45 rushing yards, but this does not make up for his abysmal performance as a passer.
There was also Richardson’s surprising decision to briefly take himself out of the game. Richardson was reportedly tired and needed a breather, which is something you’ll never hear out of an NFL QB.
If Richardson does not get his act together quickly, fans will increase the pressure on the coaching staff to bring back Joe Flacco.
Richardson’s connection with anyone not named Josh Downs was simply not there
The passing game was a huge problem for the Colts on Sunday. It is fair to question how much of the problem extends beyond QB Anthony Richardson.
The Colts pass catchers combined for two drops on Richardson’s 32 attempts. That may not sound like a lot, but it gets worse when you look at some advanced stats. Pro Football Focus gave the Colts a 15.4% drop percentage on catchable passes in Week 8, which is the second highest in the NFL.
You don’t even need to look at advanced metrics to understand the problem. Josh Down was the only Colts player to catch more than one pass on Sunday. Michael Pittman Jr. turned six targets into only one reception for 16 yards. Meanwhile, both Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell both turned four target each into just one reception each.
It is interesting to consider just how much this would change if the Colts went back to Joe Flacco under center.
