This promising stat from Indy’s horrendous year should motivate Colts this offseason
The 2022 season was a nightmare for the Indianapolis Colts, however, there’s one stat that shows Indy may not be that far from being a competitive team.
The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2022 season as one of the most promising teams in the entire league. People were considering them Super Bowl sleepers, and thought they were a lock to win the AFC South. However, Indy actually went 4-12-1, finishing third in the AFC South, and everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
The offensive line tragically regressed, star players dealt with injury, Matt Ryan was benched multiple times, and the team had two head coaches, including Jeff Saturday who was shockingly named interim head coach. However, in a season filled with historic lows, there was still one stat that should be very promising for the Colts.
Highligted by Warren Sharp, Indianapolis had 11 games last season that they either won, or loss by one score. While, obviously, winning is all that matters, being a 4-win team but having 11 total games in this category shows that the Colts may not be as far as people think they are.
wins or 1-score losses last year:
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 5, 2023
17 - KC
16 - BUF
15 - ATL, BAL, SEA, JAX, LV, PHI, LAC, CIN
14 - NYG, DET, PIT, SF, MIA, DEN, DAL
13 - NYJ, MIN, TEN, CLE, NO, GB
12 - TB, NE, CAR, WAS
11 - IND
10 - HOU, ARI, CHI
9 - LAR
which team is most surprising?
Colts were still relatively competitive in 2022
As stated earlier, everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Indianapolis last season. With the combination of injuries, turnovers, and poor offensive line play, Indy probably couldn’t have a worse offensive year next season if it tried. Even with all of that going on, the Colts found ways to be competitive in almost all of their games.
They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, lost to Philadelphia Eagles in the last minute, and played games against the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings where they looked like a good team before ultimately having epic collapses. Again, this was all done with the offense playing some of the worst football the league has seen recently.
If the Colts could be that competitive playing at the level they did last season, imagine what they could do after an offseason of addressing the offensive line, finding a better quarterback, and bringing in a new offensive coach. That’s why the idea that the Indy should be entering a rebuild doesn’t make much sense, because despite their record, Indy is still a talented team on the verge of being contenders.
In order for Indianapolis to actually take that step, the team needs to make the improvements. The offensive line hasn’t been addressed yet and Indy’s next quarterback is stil a mystery. If the holes throughout the roster are filled, Indy could win more of those close games next season.