This past Sunday, the Colts suffered a crushing loss both in and off the field. A loss to a team in the AFC definitely hurts the Colts, but the even bigger loss was the loss of a healthy quarterback in Jacoby Brissett.
Losing a guy like Brissett hurts the Colts drastically because some might call him the heart and soul of team and a vocal leader on the field.
Colts fans trust me when I say this. Brissett in or out of the lineup, the Colts will be OKAY. The Colts and Chris Ballard paid a lot of money for Brian Hoyer (who is no stranger to being prepared for a game). Brian Hoyer played exceptionally on Sunday vs the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was on short notice and a game plan that, in all in honestly, was probably never intended to be meant for him.
Hoyer finished the game 17 of 26 with 168 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hoyer played a very clean game minus that interception returned for a touchdown. Injuries are no stranger to the Colts as they’ve faced some major obstacles in the past season. But at the end of the day, the motto has always been next man up. Hoyer can start in this league and will give them the flexibility to allow Jacoby Brissett to rest and completely heal.
Hoyer stepped up last week. Zach Pascal has stepped up all season long. Khari Willis has stepped up. This season Brissett has stepped up. Members across the defensive line have stepped up. Injuries will not define the Indianapolis Colts this season. Injuries are not an excuse for losing games.
It may seem like the Colts are being slammed with injuries. Injuries to Kemoko Turay, Jacoby Brissett, and T.Y. Hilton to name a few, but it’s all going to be OKAY. It’s next man up and it always will be in Indy. This next few games could very well define the Colts’ season.
The road ahead will not be easy. Hilton is going to be out a few more weeks and Brissett probably won’t play this week. Very important AFC South games are coming, and they’re coming fast. This week against Miami is going to be tough. Please do not look over this game, as the Colts have an issue of playing down to their competitors.
Following Miami, the Colts will play arguably the most important stretch of their schedule. It’s home vs. Jacksonville with a returning Nick Foles first. Hopefully, the Colts can get mister reliable Hilton back and healthy, as that game will be very important.
After a quick two game home stand they travel to Houston to play the Texans. After Houston is another home game vs the Tennessee Titans. 3 games that all very important, as they are all within the division. The Colts cannot panic now and neither can the fans.
A lot of questions have been surrounding the 4th down crew, and specifically kicking legend Adam Vinatieri. Vinny has been very shaky and very inconsistent all season. In all honesty, the whole group has. Rigo, Luke Rhodes, and of course Vinny.
Put blame wherever you want, but the reality is that all 3 of the guys are to blame. Former Colts All-Pro punter Pat McAfee recently spoke on the Colts special teams woes on his show. He explained that it’s not just Vinny’s fault. The missed kick on Sunday to win the game was a big mess up on Luke Rhodes. Everyone knows the rule of having the laces out. I thought it was the punter’s fault that’s the long snapper’s responsibility.
Look, I know it’s frustrating to watch poor special teams play. But at the end of the day we all need remember a couple things. The score indicates that they lost because of the missed kick, but they didn’t. In reality they lost because of multiples reasons; bad penalties, poor officiating, and letting small plays become big plays on defense.