What’s left to watch for during the last two games of Colts’ 2024 campaign?

Tennessee Titans v Indianapolis Colts — Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

With the Colts’ playoff hopes increasingly dwindling, there are still some things to keep an eye on as the 2024 campaign soon comes to a close.

With their playoff hopes realistically on life support (now having roughly a 15% of making the playoffs), the Indianapolis Colts still have two games remaining in the 2024 regular season against a pair of the NFL’s current bottom feeders.

Those squads are the 2-13 New York Giants (who have lost 10 straight) and their divisional rival, the 3-12 Jacksonville Jaguars (with the regular season finale thankfully being at home!).

While ‘draft SZN’ may already be the focus now for Colts fans—as a playoff long shot, there are still some things to watch for over the next two games as the 2024 campaign wraps up:

1. Anthony Richardson’s Growth and Development

The long-term success of the Colts franchise still rests on the health, growth, and development of their former 2023 4th overall pick’s surgically repaired right throwing shoulder, as well as his legs—featuring elite dual-threat mobility.

The still 22-year-old Richardson has endured every bit of a ‘rollercoaster’ season, having entered his 2nd-year with so much helium after an impressive, yet limited rookie debut last year before it was unfortunately cut way too short due to a season-ending shoulder injury.

Whether it was rust, inexperience, or a ‘lack of attention to detail,’ Richardson was in a ‘sophomore slump’ with the boiling over point being his infamous ‘tap out’ during Week 8 on the road against the Houston Texans. Richardson was surprisingly benched for two games before the Colts turned the starting reins back over to him after he demonstrated greater leadership, maturity, and time commitment inside the building and off-the-field.

To his credit, it hasn’t been all lip service, as Richardson has backed up his newfound ‘CEO of W. 56th Street’ mantra onto the field—with much improved play and production.

Richardson has always had the elite ability, but is starting to play more within himself—with greater poise and pocket composure by progressing through his reads, and not always looking for the ‘home run ball,’ instead taking what the defense gives him to more efficiently move the sticks and sustain long scoring drives.

It hasn’t been perfect, as there’s still the occasional throw he’d like to have back—like any young NFL passer, and major room for improvement in his accuracy, but he’s shown enough flashes to dream upon—and really still believe in as the New Year approaches.

Whether it’s been his cutting down on turnovers or impressive late 4th quarter heroics, he’s demonstrated enough down the stretch where the Colts should run it back for at least one more full season to see what he can do, right? An equally strong finish would go a long way.

2. Jonathan Taylor’s ‘Redemption Tour’

Look, there’s no sugarcoating it.

The dropped fumble in celebration just before scoring a long touchdown run that would’ve put the Colts up two scores in a pivotal road game against the Denver Broncos flat out sucked. We know it. Jonathan Taylor knows it. His teammates know it.

The Indy team captain can’t undo what was already done, and that will likely be a moment that haunts him for what could very well be a Pro Football Hall of Fame, and at the very least, Colts ‘Ring of Honor’ career.

However, if last Sunday was any indication, Taylor was looking to atone a bit at least during the road that lies ahead for Indianapolis. The Colts’ star workhorse ran like a man possessed last week against the rival Tennessee Titans, rushing for a whopping 218 total rushing yards on 29 carries and rushing for 3 rushing touchdowns (including a long score of 70 yards).

Taylor is now safely over 1,000 yards with 1,129 total rushing yards and two games still left to play, but going up against the league’s 31st ranked run defense (the Giants) and 20th ranked (the Titans) respectively, Taylor could still put up some fireworks to finish out 2024.

3. Ryan Kelly’s ‘Last Colts Roundup’?

The longtime Indianapolis veteran center has recently been a bit of a ‘point of contention’ among at least some Colts fans with his high salary, increasing number of football injuries, and publicly proclaiming holding certain younger teammates (i.e, Anthony Richardson during his prior benching) to a ‘standard here’ that arguably hasn’t been met or been held for others as far as accountability is truly concerned.

That being said, when looking at Kelly’s complete body of work as a former Colts’ 2016 first round pick and having played all 9 of his seasons in Indianapolis, with 119 career starts, an NFL 2nd-team All-Pro accolade to his name, and four Pro Bowl nods, and it’s time to give the 31-year-old center ‘his flowers.’

With a $14.625M cap hit in 2024 and as a soon-to-be free agent, and the Colts having the likely ‘heir apparent’ 2024 4th round pick Tanor Bortolini, in the fold on the roster, and it looks like these very well could be Kelly’s last two starts as a member of the Horseshoe.

Hopefully, with another one in the Big Apple, and then the regular season finale at home against the Jaguars, Colts fans can send him out the right way.

NFL: Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts

4. Youth Movement

In addition to the aforementioned Richardson and Bortolini, there’s a few other young players that I’d like to watch and see what they can do with extended playing time including rookies such as wideouts AD Mitchell and Anthony Gould; offensive tackle Matt Goncalves; edge Laitu Latu, linebacker Jaylon Carlies, etc.

First-year players like Bortolini, Goncalves, and Latu have been unexpectedly entrusted into more lucrative roles during the 2024 campaign because of injuries, but here’s hoping they can close out the 2024 regular season with a lot of momentum heading into their Years 2’s.