The Indianapolis Colts’ season was a roller coaster of emotions. They began the season losing four of their first five games. Despite the losing record, there was still confidence that the team could figure things out and get back on track.
The team was one or two breaks from being 3-2 instead of 1-4, so confidence was still high. Their resolve paid off as the Colts reeled off victories in five of their next six games to get them to 6-5. A dominant victory over the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park punctuated that stretch to get them over the .500 mark.
Losing twice to the Tennessee Titans in that span put the Colts behind the eight-ball when it came to chasing a division title, but they were still in a position to qualify for the postseason. After a tough loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Colts reeled off three straight victories, shutting out the Houston Texans before defeating the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals.
Indianapolis was in a great spot to qualify for the postseason. All they had to do was defeat the Las Vegas Raiders at home or go on the road and beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. Disappointment ensued, as they lost to the Raiders 23-20 before suffering an embarrassing, blowout loss at the hands of the Jaguars, 26-11.
Just like that, the Colts’ season was over. In the span of two weeks, they went from a team that no one wanted to face in the playoffs to a team no one could even face in the postseason. Owner Jim Irsay had a meeting with general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Frank Reich.
Reich shared some insight about the meeting. While specifics weren’t shared, he made it clear that a good conversation was held and that Irsay is expecting changes for the 2022 season.
“Yeah, I did speak with Mr. Irsay [Sunday] night. Actually, when we got back he wanted to meet with Chris (Ballard) and I. So, we came back over here to the building last night and met with Mr. Irsay for a couple hours just reflecting on the game, on the season,” Reich said Monday. “He’s got a very unique perspective. I love his approach and how demanding and holding us all accountable, but also showing support as an owner that he wants to do whatever it takes to get our organization to the top, to get our team to the top. It was a good conversation, a supportive conversation, but also demanding and wanting answers and wanting to hold us accountable.”
The one position that many people will have an eye on is the quarterback spot. Carson Wentz was a mitigated disaster at times this season. The team wasn’t overly reliant on him, as they rode Jonathan Taylor as much as possible. But, when they needed him to step up, Wentz fell flat.
In the win and you’re in game against the Jaguars, Wentz finished with a QBR of 4.4. The average for QBR is 50, so in a game, the Colts had to win to make the playoffs, Wentz had his worst performance of the season.
While the loss was disappointing, Reich said that fans should be excited about what will come in the future for the team.
“Obviously, I know you’re not asking me to go into the details because you know that wouldn’t be appropriate, but I always walk out of there saying, that’s a good insight. That’s a good insight. I just learned something from that, it’s just giving me a different perspective on something. That’s without fail. That happens every time we go back there,” Reich said of the meeting. “So, Chris (Ballard) and I walked out of there with a resolve like we’re going to get better. We walked out of there saying we got a lot of the right pieces in place. A lot of the right pieces in place. My goodness. I love our players, respect our players and if I’m a Colts fan, I’m fired up. I’m incredibly disappointed about how this season ended but I understand that there’s some makings here of a very good football team.”
It hurts to hear right now given how the season ended, but he is right. The Colts have some incredible pieces in place and are not far off from being contenders in the AFC.
With a few tweaks here and there, Indianapolis will be playing in the postseason next year.
