If you thought the first part of the season was bumpy, buckle up.
The Indianapolis Colts were sitting a game above .500 for the first time on the year after defeating the Dolphins at home. From there, the schedule and the season as a whole took a nasty turn.
An incredibly tough portion of the schedule ensued with three straight games against stiff competition. This marked the lowest point of the season with the Colts dropping all three. While it wasn’t necessarily surprising, it certainly took the wind out of their sails. With a loss to the Texans, the division was now an afterthought. If fans thought losing three in a row was bad, they also had to contend with Anthony Richardson being benched and the drama and confusion it brought. After tapping out, Richardson was benched in favor of Joe Flacco, and it took the lowest point of the year and dragged it down to rock bottom.
With a season full of peaks and valleys, there have to be some peaks, right? Richardson learned or was at least seemingly taught his lesson and was brought back as the starting quarterback. That alone was enough to make most fans exhale. He then proceeded to give us some of the most exciting wins we have witnessed in awhile. Trailing by eight in the fourth quarter, Richardson led the Colts on two touchdown drives to win by one against the Jets. Fast-forward to the Patriots game and we saw late game heroics again, as he hit Alec Pierce on a last second touchdown and plowed in for two for the win. Heading into the bye, that was the ultimate high.
Unfortunately, any good feelings gained were immediately lost after the Colts melted down in Denver and had one of the worst losses in franchise history to the Giants. A must win game against an abysmal opponent produced a bloodbath for the Colts. It was a total embarrassment and drove the proverbial nail into the coffin regarding any shot at the post season.
A season that started off with a bang on a 60-yard touchdown to Pierce, ended with a whimper with a sad home game against the lowly Jaguars. That is going to be the story for most teams that hover around .500 for the season. Some definite highs and some worrisome lows. The Colts have had too many lows over the last decade, however. It is time to turn things around in 2025 and get back to the high life.