Last season, the Colts shocked the world and had a winning record. One season later, and this team could improve upon that and find themselves in the postseason. Welcome back to another edition of ‘The Super Bowl Race In The Perspective of Chase’, and today we will take a look at the Indianapolis Colts, and see what they can do this coming NFL season.
2023 Season
Going into their 2023 campaign, the Colts had the third lowest Super Bowl odds behind what ended up being the 2-win Panthers, the 4-win Commanders and the 4-win Patriots at 1-125. Me myself, I didn’t have many expectations for them either, especially with Jonathan Taylor missing the first part of the season and Anthony Richardson going down with an injury early on. But the Colts saw high level production from Zack Moss, Gardner Minshew and first time head coach Shane Steichen, as they finished with huge wins over Baltimore and Houston and en route to an overachieving 9-8 record. The craziest part: they were one Tyler Goodson catch away from the postseason and a division title.
Offseason Additions and Losses
The roster did have some turnaround. The Colts lost their Pro Bowl QB Minshew to Las Vegas. To replace him, they brought in reigning Comeback Player of the Year Joel Flacco after a promising campaign with Cleveland. While he’s older, he’s just as productive and cheaper than Minshew. The only other notable moves were Moss and Isaiah McKenzie moving on to new teams. Outside of that, the Colts did a great job keeping their near-playoff roster intact. They extended WR Michael Pittman Jr, star LB Zaire Franklin, defensive backs Kenny Moore and Julian Blackmon, and Grover Stewart. In the draft, they also improved by adding defensive end Laiatu Latu and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. So they’ve only improved the roster from last season. Now, it all comes down to Anthony Richardson.
X-Factor: Jonathan Taylor
Before we break down Richardson’s possible impact in 2024, I think this is a make-or-break season for Jonathan Taylor. Because he begged and was rewarded with a pretty large paycheck for a running backs concern. And last season, after missing the first six games due to injury, he was productive (741 yards, 7 TD, 4.4 Y/A) but was nowhere near where he was at a few years ago. You could argue it was the worst season of his career. And with Moss gone, Taylor will have to take a large responsibility in the running game. If he isn’t productive, changes will be made in Indianapolis.
Reason for Concern: Anthony Richardson
Last season, the Colts nearly made the playoffs with an overachieving Gardner Minshew at quarterback. The big ‘what if?’ has been what the Colts would have done if QB Anthony Richardson hadn’t only played four games before missing the rest of the season due to injury. And I am very high on Richardson. His dual threat ability and skill set makes him an intriguing sign caller to have under center. But at the same time, he posted a completion rate in the NFL that doesn’t represent great accuracy, nor did he do so in collegiate ball at Florida. He is a great touchdown getter, can throw the ball deep and can escape the pocket with ease. But his lack of experience and consistency at the NFL level may hold the Colts back from taking their play to the next step in 2024.
Reason for Promise: The Supporting Cast Around Richardson
If Richardson isn’t great immediately, it won’t be hard to get him to a postseason caliber level. Having Jonathan Taylor at running back is already a huge plus, and I expect him to expand this offense assuming he stays healthy. Michael Pittman Jr. is a quality wide receiver. Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and Adonai Mitchell are also great receiving weapons, and I’m a fan of Mo Allie-Cox at tight end. Combine that with an effective offensive line led by Quenton Nelson, and a defense with several defensive line pieces (Kwity Paye, DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart) and many other stars all around, Richardson is being put in a great situation to succeed immediately. And this could help him find his consistency and allow him to expand his game, and expand Indianapolis’ ability to achieve success in 2024.
Prediction
I do think Indianapolis will be in the race for a postseason position. But their division is competitive, and there are many teams who will be competing with them for Wild Card positions. Nonetheless, the Colts will hover around eight to ten wins, right around a postseason position.
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