Richardson’s season-ending injury altered the Colts’ first-half equation.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) – The Indianapolis Colts’ success this season was supposed to be measured by Anthony Richardson’s improvement.
The rookie quarterback’s season-ending right shoulder injury, on the other hand, changed the equation.
Shane Steichen, the Colts’ first-year coach, has coped expertly with a number of unexpected twists and turns, the most significant being the loss of Richardson in Week 5, which moved the team within one win of.500 and into the postseason discussion at the midway point.
“In this league, there are waves up and down,” Steichen remarked after the Colts beat Carolina 27-13 on Sunday to stop a three-game losing streak. “It’s a part of this league.” The difficult part is remaining consistent. We must be consistent in all three phases week in and week out.”
The Colts (4-5) have been riding those waves through treacherous waters thus far.
While Richardson, the No. 4 overall draft pick in April, showed a lot of potential in his four starts, he was only able to finish one game due to injury.
Gardner Minshew, his replacement, committed eight turnovers in his first two October starts, both defeats. He has recovered in the last two weeks, but Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots (2-7) will almost surely throw some unusual obstacles at Minshew next weekend in Frankfurt, Germany.
Following offseason surgery and restricted snaps as they eased back into action, NFL rushing champion Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and three-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard (back) are just starting to round into pre-injury form. Taylor’s nasty contract dispute was another source of distraction until he agreed to a three-year, $42 million extension in early October.
Indy’s defense had allowed a league-worst 28.6 points per game entering last weekend, despite leading the NFL in tackles for loss and strip sacks.
Steichen’s tenacious Colts, on the other hand, appear poised for a second-half surge. Only seven AFC teams have more wins than Indianapolis, which aims to capitalize on their most recent triumph by navigating one of the league’s most straightforward remaining schedules.
“I think we all understand what we have potentially as a football team,” Minshew remarked on Sunday. “I think if we play to our potential, we can be really good.”
WHAT IS SUCCESSIVE
Scoring. The offensive has entirely turned around its fortunes from previous season. Despite losing Richardson, the Colts are presently seventh in the league and 8.8 points ahead of last season at 25.8 points per game. Indy is the only team that has scored at least 20 points in each of its nine games.
WHAT IS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE Defense. Yes, Indy outplayed Carolina rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Kenny Moore II became the first player in franchise history to record two pick-6s in a single game, and the Colts allowed just 13 points. The new goal is to show that this is the norm, not an outlier.
GET STOCKED
Zack Moss, running back. Nobody has been a bigger pleasant surprise than Moss, who spent his first three NFL seasons as a backup. This year has been a breakthrough year. Despite missing the opener with a broken arm and splitting carries with Taylor since Week 5, he has already set career highs in carries (132), yards (615), and touchdown runs (five). Moss is still the league’s leading rusher and is expected to sign a new contract next season.
STOCK DOWN
TE Mo Alie-Cox. With five tight ends on the active roster and Jelani Woods on injured reserve, Alie-Cox’s role has been scaled way back. Yes, the 30-year-old former college basketball star remains a leader in the locker room. But he has only caught five passes for 72 yards and one TD.
INJURIES
It has been a rugged start with Taylor’s early absence, Leonard’s slow start and Richardson’s shoulder surgery. RT Braden Smith (hip, wrist) has missed four games and LB Zaire Franklin (knee), the league’s leading tackler (102), sat out Sunday. … Impressive rookie WR Josh Downs (knee) could miss time after getting hurt Sunday. … DT Grover Stewart has been sidelined by a six-game suspension.
KEY NUMBER
4 — Indy needed nine games to match last season’s victory total.
NEXT STEPS
Aside from Minshew’s turnover-prone two-game stretch, the offense has been consistently solid. They will become an even more daunting foe if the ground game becomes a more steady component. But the next big step must come from the defense being able to replicate what it did Sunday.
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