The Indianapolis Colts at 6-5 are right there in the hunt for a chance to make the postseason, but to say that fans expected this heading into this season would simply not be true. This was seen as a rebuilding year with a young future franchise quarterback who would go through rookie growing pains. There were also the expectation of Jonathan Taylor putting together another strong and full season, but neither of these happened the way the Colts expected.
Now this team is the seventh seed in the AFC heading into a game being led by Gardner Minshew at quarterback, and Zack Moss is going to be the lead back heading for another few weeks. If you told fans the script the Indianapolis Colts got this season, people would expect this team to be down there with some of the worst in the NFL, but now they are just behind some of the best.
This team has been full of surprises this season, with a new head coach, new stud young players, and great moves all around by this front office. The Colts have had to make changes on the fly, but the adaptation to adversity has been impressive.
The Colts are in a position where they all but control their own destiny heading into the season's final six games, and have a chance to give fans the true surprise of a postseason appearance. But, here are five of the biggest surprises for the Colts so far
5. Winning despite the loss of Anthony Richardson
When it was announced that Anthony Richardson would be out for the remainder of the season after the first Titans’ game, fans were ready to mail it in for the rest of the year. But Indianapolis showed the league why having a strong backup quarterback is so important, and Gardner Minshew has now brought back Minshew Mania in Indianapolis.
The past couple of seasons, he had been sitting behind Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, and fit well in this Shane Steichen offense he was so familiar with. This was a perfect match for Minshew and Steichen, which has paid dividends for the Colts and their hopes for this season.
One can only imagine if the Colts would be better, worse, or about the same if Richardson was the one under center, but at the end of the day it was quite a surprise that Minshew was able to perform the way he did. The young star from Florida will make his return in 2024 and should be the expected starter, but for now, it is Minshew time in Indy.
The Washington State product has not put up numbers that will make your eyes jump, but he has done just enough to keep this team over 500. He has started seven games and appeared in all 11, with 1972 yards, eight touchdowns to seven interceptions. So the touchdown to interception ratio has not been the best, but it has been just good enough to win games. While Richardson will be a huge piece of this offense in 2024 and beyond, it was still a pleasant surprise to see this team still winnng despite the loss.
4. The performance of Zack Moss
Losing Jonathan Taylor for a huge chunk of the early season was a major loss for this team, but it turned out to not be as big of a problem as fans thought. Zack Moss coming from Buffalo was a key piece in saving the season with some big-time performances.
He has started five games for Indianapolis, with 672 yards and five touchdowns on the year, all of those being career highs. A player who was expected to be a solid backup has now turned his season around into being a player who may find a solid contract somewhere else as a lead back.
His biggest two performances were in moments where this team really needed him with the lack of Taylor. Week three against the Ravens he took 30 carries for 122 and made an impressive catch for a touchdown in a 22-19 victory. Considering where the Ravens are now, this win has been more impressive week after week.
He also had a 23-carry, 165-yard, two-touchdown game against Tennessee when Richardson went down with the shoulder injury. Averaging 7.2 yards a carry in a game where your team needs you the most just shows the guts this guy has, having him on the roster is a huge blessing for this team.
And now, with Taylor out for at least two weeks with a thumb injury, Moss will have his day in the sun yet again. Based on this season so far, this team will be just fine at the running back position despite the injury.
3. The performance of the defensive line
While the defensive line is still one of the more impressive parts of this Colts team, they still have found a way to exceed expectations this season. 11 games into the year they have 36 sacks, good for sixth in the entire NFL.
Dayo Odeyingbo out of Vanderbilt has shown his value to this team in his third season in the NFL. He leads the team in sacks with 6.5, exceeding his total from last year of five. Zaire Franklin has helped with the pass rush but also has burst onto the scene, leading the team in tackles with 124, which is also good for fourth in the league.
Kwity Paye has also had a strong season with 5.5 sacks, Samson Ebukam comes in with six, and Deforest Buckner has five of his own out of that defensive tackle spot. This team has built this defensive line so well, and the fact that most of these players are so young is encouraging for the future of this team.
To Colts fans, this has not been as much of a surprise as some other ones on this list, but this line has been putting the NFL on notice all season long. They find themselves a bit underrated, but this pass rush is the reason they are 6-5. And if they get into the postseason, teams who are great with their pass rush sometimes find ways to surprise people, so we will see where they go from here. The pieces on this defensive line will be around for a long time if this team plays its cards right, and this team will make the playoffs if this strong play continues.
2. Josh Downs having a strong rookie season
The Indianapolis Colts got a steal in the third round by taking UNC product Josh Downs. The rookie has caught 48 passes for 566 yards and two touchdowns, which is not elite wide receiver stuff, but in terms of a third-rounder, that is more than expectations would have you asking for.
He and Richardson developed chemistry early, but he did not miss a stride when Minshew had to become the signal caller. He was another player that had a strong performance against Baltimore; Downs had eight receptions off 12 targets for 57 yards in a great game. Seeing his ability to rack up catches shows he is not just a speed guy, but he is an all-around wide receiver.
Even though they lost against Cleveland in a heartbreaker, Downs had a 59-yard reception that solidified him as the future of the wide receiver position for this team. The past couple of games have not been jumping off the stat-sheet type of games, but he is still seeing plenty of targets his way.
With Alec Pierce and other receivers on this team not finding their stride as much as this team would have hoped in 2023, seeing Downs as a bright spot was great for this squad. At just 22 years old, he still has plenty of room left to grow, but his speed is great and his route running continues to improve. Once Richardson comes back, that is when this duo is going to begin to build a reputation as one of the better duos in the NFL, and that should excite Colts fans a ton.
1. Shane Steichen burst onto the scene in year one
The hiring of Shane Steichen was a part of the Colts' shift to modern football in the NFL, with him being an offensive mind who helped lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl this past season. This team has had a rocky number of years when it comes to head coaching candidates, but it seems Indianapolis has found their guy.
What has been surprising is that if this team makes the playoffs, there could be a great argument made for a coach of the year nomination, given what this team had to endure in losing their quarterback, and their star running back for a lot of the season. Steichen has kept this team afloat and locked in despite adversity, and in year one that is one of the hardest things a coach can do.
Steichen had to alter his playbook quite a bit after the Richardson injury, but that did not take much time to get this offense back to where it needed to be with Minshew. This team has been without Grover Stewart and Isaiah Rodgers Sr. as well, and Shaquille Leonard's release had to be tough on the locker room.
But despite everything that has gone on though, Steichen has been that guy to lead this team through the fire. He shows clear excitement on the sideline, and always has this team fired up and ready to go, and this is seen in his aggressive playcalling as well.
Steichen is the coach you want to have in the 2020s, and with a few more years under his belt to help build this team up from where it was, anything is possible. Barring any setbacks or changes, the Colts appear to have made the right hire, and that has been the perfect gift for the Colts at this point in their rebuild.