Colts offense can only go up from here and the stats show that they will likely improve
By Noah Compton
Colts always start slow under Frank Reich
As previously mentioned, since 2018, when Frank Reich took over as head coach, the Indianapolis Colts have had a losing record through the team’s first five weeks (cumulative of each season). On the flip side, these Colts teams start putting more in the win column in the weeks following Week 5. Per NFL on CBS, the Reich-led Colts are 10-14-1 in Weeks 1-5 but are 29-16 in Weeks 6-18.
Further to my previous comments, it’s important to understand that a new QB at the helm year after year, especially five years in a row, automatically calls for a new start each and every year. A new start as in, not only has each new starter had to learn a new offense from scratch, but the rest of the offense (which ultimately has included its own moving pieces) has to grow and adapt with the said starter. This is troublesome in itself as it’s nearly impossible to build continuity, given it hasn’t been the same guy for more than one year at a time (since Reich took over).
Couple that with an offensive line that has seemingly lost its identity, and it seems impossible that the 2022 Colts are heading into Week 6 with a .500 record (including a tie) to its resume. To be fair, o-line play for the Colts has been regressing ever since the retirement of franchise left tackle, Anthony Castonzo.
From an offensive line that surpassed that threshold of elite status from 2018-2020, it’s concerning to see such a drastic downfall, especially given the team still has three of the original five from that elite group. An elite-level offensive line is certainly not something that was ever on Colts fans’ bingo cards during the Andrew Luck days. After essentially watching their beloved QB get sacked into retirement, and then being left with this talented line but no QB to protect, it’s frustrating to see the cohesion of the line fade away with each new QB that’s brought in.
My point in even bringing up Team DVOA wasn’t to convince others that this Colts team, more specifically the offense, has played better than they’ve shown. Actually, my point entirely, is that I wanted to prove that this Indianapolis offense has indeed played as bad as it seems. The offensive line rankings, via PFF, after five weeks have the Colts at dead last, being the worst offensive line in the entire league.