The Indianapolis Colts needed to beat the Denver Broncos to have a realistic shot at keeping their playoff hopes alive. Instead, they lost, and not only that, but were utterly humiliated in the process.
While the first half went remarkably well for Indianapolis, Denver dominated in the second - largely due to mistakes of the Colts' own making. Given that, it's not much of a surprise that fans and analysts alike are calling for drastic changes within the Colts organization, particularly given how much talent exists on this team, and is simply going to waste.
It's technically still possible for the Colts to make the playoffs, especially if they win their remaining three games. But it's not likely - and this week's power rankings reflect that.
Stephen Holder, ESPN: #22 (20)
Biggest improvement: Field goal kicking
Kicker Matt Gay had a rough preseason, converting just one of four field goal attempts. The concern spilled over into the regular season when he converted three of his first five attempts (60%) through four weeks. But he has picked things up considerably, giving the Colts a reliable option when drives stall (which has happened too often). Since Week 5, Gay has nailed 21 of 22 field goal attempts (95.5%). More specifically, he is 8-of-9 on attempts of 40 yards or longer and is perfect on 16 extra-point attempts.
Nate Davis, USA Today: #21 (19)
It's very tempting to count them out. But their final three opponents (Titans, Giants, Jags) have a combined eight wins, so …
Eric Edholm, NFL.com: #22 (18)
Since moving to 4-3 with a Week 7 victory over Miami, the Colts have won last-minute nail-bitersover the Jets and Patriots while losing five games by a combined 57 points. Sunday was a pick-your-poison defeat. Indianapolis came out of halftime with a 13-7 lead and immediatelyforced a Denver turnover less than two minutes into the second half. Incredibly thereafter, the Colts had three lost fumbles (one a lateral run back for a TD), two turnovers on downs and an interception -- and they punted three times for good measure. The Jonathan Taylor fumble-- on what should have been a 41-yard touchdown run -- was inexcusable. But we're also running out of justification forAnthony Richardson's struggles. He threw two interceptions for a second straight game and completed just 17 of his 38 passes against Denver. Richardson has finished above 50 percent completions in just one game that he has started and finished this season. That's why the Colts are in bad shape for the playoffs, having missed a golden opportunity Sunday.
Josh Kendall, The Athletic: #22 (20)
MVP: Running back Jonathan Taylor
Yes, Taylor gets it despite making Sunday’s worst play, dropping the ball short of the goal line to turn a touchdown into a turnover and give Denver all the momentum. On the positive side, he had 22 carries for 107 yards and now has 911 yards for the season. If the 25-year-old gets over 1,000, it will be the first time he has done that since 2021, when he had 1,811 yards and was second in offensive player of the year voting.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: #22 (19)
The Colts gave up 130 passing yards, picked off Bo Nix three times and allowed 2.7 yards per carry. And they lost by 18 points. There’s a lot of blame to go around, like for Jonathan Taylor dropping the ball before he scored, but the continued struggles ofAnthony Richardson are a big problem.
Bleacher Report: #21 (19)
It's a play that will be replayed on television for a long time—much to the chagrin of Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
Granted, Taylor dropping the ball just before crossing the goal line wasn't the only reason that Indianapolis lost on Sunday, as Indy turned the ball over five times. But the gaffe summed up the 2024 Colts—for every flash of talent, there has been a game-changing mistake.
While talking to reporters post-game, head coach Shane Steichen said that despite the mistake, the team stands behind its star tailback.
"That was a game changer, yeah, absolutely," Colts coach Shane Steichen said. "Obviously, it hurt us, but he's one of our leaders. Sometimes that happens in football, but he's our guy, and that's what you say to him."
For his part, Taylor was just mortified.
"That can't happen," said Taylor. "No, you're never consciously aware you're dropping the ball. Otherwise, you wouldn't do it."
Analyst's Take
Jonathan Taylor's "fumble" on what could have been a game-changing score during Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos won't be forgotten anytime soon. Indianapolis held a strong lead for the majority of the game. Momentum jerked more abruptly than a new driver learning how to use a stick shift when Taylor forgot to bring the ball with him as he ran into the end zone. The story remains the same throughout the season: Quarterback Anthony Richardson must play better, but he needs more help from those around him. Taylor fumbling away the team's playoff hopes serves as a microcosm for the entire campaign. - Brent Sobleski
Mike Florio, NBC Sports: #19 (16)
They’re not good enough to overcome so many self-inflicted wounds.
Conor Orr, SI: #19 (16)
I’m not sure if this has been published somewhere already and my apologies if someone has already noted this, but having gone back through all of Anthony Richardson’s play logs this season, Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos was the heaviest usage of pre-snap motion I’ve seen. I wonder if this is a sign of him getting more comfortable with the way defenses are responding to the motion concepts.
Another disjointed point: Richardson is so chaotic at the goal line, I spent most of the time watching him backed up against his own end zone trying to calm heart palpitations. Twice he seemed to almost run back into peril. This wasn’t a bad Richardson game per se, but there is still much to iron out.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: #21 (18)
The Colts are sticking with the wild ride of Anthony Richardson, even after his untamed mishaps in Denver. It also would be nice if Jonathan Taylor gave him full rushing support instead of fumbling himself, too.