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