To say the Indianapolis Colts struggled in 2024 would be a massive understatement. The season was filled with problems, and they never seemed to stop coming: Anthony Richardson's consistency, numerous positions with serious depth issues, injuries, poor coaching, head coach Shane Steichen losing the locker room, poor team culture... the list went on and on. Yet because the Colts do have a talented roster, they were still able to be a playoff contender right to the very end.
Yet these problems, combined with the Colts' talented roster, meant that the Colts spent most of the season wallowing in mediocrity at best. While some analysts are optimistic about the Colts' prospects for 2025, others believe it will be more of the same.
Then there's Jeff Kerr at CBS Sports, who listed Indianapolis as one of five teams that will likely go into free fall in 2025.
Kerr said the five teams he chose were "overachieved last year, or were on the verge of collapse based on how last season ended," and that he included their 2024 performance and the opponents they will face in 2025. And of the teams he chose - the Minnesota Vikings, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Denver Broncos, and the Washington Commanders - the Colts had the worst record.
The other teams, Kerr noted, will have a hard time replicating their successes in 2024. For the Colts, the issue is the uncertainty that never seems to end.
"The Colts did make a change at defensive coordinator, firing Gus Bradley and hiring Lou Anarumo. The defense should improve, but the Colts need more talent on a unit that finished in the bottom 10 in points per game allowed in each of the last three seasons.Jeff Kerr
This team has the talent to win football games, and should be better. General manager Chris Ballard struggles to build a competent roster and the Colts haven't won a division title in eight seasons under him. They also play in too many one-score games that affect their ability to win consistently (played in 13 of them last year).
If Richardson doesn't improve, the Colts could be in for a long 2025 season, even with the AFC South having two rebuilding teams in it like Jacksonville and Tennessee. "
The Texans found themselves imploding towards the end of the season, particularly in the playoffs, and the Jaguars have hired a new head coach. They are likely the Colts' biggest competition, as the Titans seem to be struggling on multiple fronts, from their need for a new quarterback to problems with staffing.
Yet the Colts haven't won the AFC South since 2014, and have never quite rebounded from the loss of Andrew Luck. Yet their problems are much bigger than just one quarterback; if Steichen and Bradley don't make serious changes to how they run this Indianapolis team, then it seems a certainty that 2025 will be more of the same for the embattled Colts.