Indianapolis Colts fall down the Week 13 power rankings after brutal loss

It may not look like it on the surface, but Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson had another good game against the Detroit Lions. So did the defense, which did the best they possibly could containing a powerful offense from the best team in the league, while also constantly having to remain on the field. Special teams did what they could.

Unfortunately, none of that was enough to overcome the fatal flaws in the Colts' offense, particularly on the offensive line and with their tight ends. Richardson was pressured over 46% of his dropbacks, well above the league average. Throw in a ridiculous amount of penalties erasing numerous promising drives, inexcusable dropped passes or wide receivers refusing to get open, and you have a recipe for disaster.

And disaster is what Colts fan got on their Week 12 matchup against the Lions. While the Lions had been expected to win, there was an expectation that Indianapolis would put up more of a fight. Instead, poor coaching, dumb mistakes, and idiotic penalties crippled the Colts.

Next week they'll be playing a much easier opponent - the New England Patriots - but for now, things aren't looking good for this beleaguered team.

Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: #21 (20)

Anthony Richardson completed 6 of his first 9 passes Sunday. After that he was 5 for 19. That’s troubling given his accuracy issues before he was benched, but hopefully for the Colts it's just a statement on the Lions’ defense.

Stephen Holder, ESPN: #21 (19)

Offense ranking: 22
Defense ranking: 20
Special teams ranking: 13

These rankings seem about right when looking at the Colts' inconsistent results and current 1-4 stretch. They have shown flashes of promise in all areas, but there are fundamental issues undermining every phase of their team. The offensive line is suddenly an issue, which is severely limiting what was a solid running game. Defensively, the Colts are 17th in scoring defense (22.8 points), but that's offset by giving up 375.8 yards per game (28th). Special teams would be better if not for kicker Matt Gay's occasional misses (his 87.5% field goal percentage ranks 21st). 

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: #19 (17)

Anthony Richardson is improved, but they still aren't scoring enough points. They had a chance to make the division close with the Texans losing, but they didn't play well against the Lions.

Josh Kendall, The Athletic: #21 (19)

Best-case scenario: Developing Anthony Richardson

The Colts aren’t out of the playoff picture, but this season won’t be remembered for making the postseason or not. It will be remembered as the year their second-year quarterback either worked or didn’t. Richardson was 11-of-28 passing for 172 yards and led Indianapolis with 61 rushing yards against the Lions. Indianapolis should think about protecting him better. He was 3 of 13 when pressured, according to TruMedia.

Bleacher Report: #21 (21)

The Indianapolis Colts are stuck in the in-between.

The Colts aren't a bad team... but they aren't an especially good one, either. The Indy defense had little answer for the juggernaut that is the Lions offense. The Colts offense struggled Sunday — the team was 0-for-2 in the red zone, and after throwing the ball well in Week 11, young quarterback Anthony Richardson came back to earth, completing just 11 of 28 passes.

Despite another rough day throwing the ball, teammate DeForest Buckner still believes that Richardson has a bright future.

"As a player, to go where you have never been and become the player that you want to be, you have to be willing to do things that you've never done and make certain sacrifices you've never made," Buckner told reporters. "At the end of the day, there's a price that needs to be paid. I feel like within this process the past two weeks, he's been able to really see that and that's what gives us so much confidence in him. Knowing that he's rooting in the process and he's developing as a pro."

Still after losing four of five, it's fair to question how long the Colts can wait before they have to consider a Plan B under center.

Because Richardson just hasn't been good as a passer in the NFL.

Analyst's Take

Anthony Richardson needs help. The sophomore quarterback needs to play better, of course. But multiple instances occurred during Sunday's contest against the Detroit Lions where others around the sophomore signal-caller let him down — Andrew Ogletree's drop of what would have been a walk-in touchdown being the most obvious example. Richardson may never become an efficient operator. But it's highly difficult to become anything when plays aren't being made by others or are called back because of penalties. -- Brent Sobleski

Mike Florio, NBC Sports: #20 (20)

They’d be cooked, if the Texans could light the stove.

Conor Orr, SI: #21 (20)

I have not been wrestling with the Anthony Richardson conundrum like many people have. I don’t see this as a black and white conversation about should we or should we not spend time developing the kid and is he really as bad as the statistics say. There’s nuance for every quarterback and in Richardson’s case my thoughts are this:

The Colts have a grabby offensive line and commit a ton of killer penalties. Some of those penalties, like an illegal man down the field early in Sunday’s game, is directly resulted to having Richardson because offensive linemen tend to know less often where mobile quarterbacks are on the field. There were roughly four unforgivable drops, but as I’m writing this during Monday Night Football, Quentin Johnston just coughed up a handful of balls. 

And so, there you have it. This is not a yes or no, good or bad, right or wrong conversation. But … let’s have that conversation about every quarterback. 

Nate Davis, USA Today: #21 (21)

QB Anthony Richardson's return to the lineup hasn't helped RB Jonathan Taylor, who's averaged 46 rushing yards and 2.6 per carry the past two weeks.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: #20 (18)

The Colts' offense cannot run with Jonathan Taylor well, and the defense cannot stop the run — not a good formula to stay in the AFC wild-card race.