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When the Colts play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, they will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline.
Former Colts head coach Frank Reich, who now leads the Panthers, will face his former team for the first time since he was fired almost a year ago on November 7th, 2022. The firing came on the heels of an embarrassing 26-3 loss in New England to the Patriots, which dropped the team to 3-5-1 on the season. The disappointing start to that season followed the disaster that was the end of the 2021 season, when the Colts missed the playoffs despite needing to only beat either the Raiders or Jaguars to make it in.
The start of Reich’s first season as the head man in Carolina has hardly been smooth. The team started 0-6 and has seen rookie quarterback and #1-overall pick Bryce Young struggle. However, they did notch their first win of the year last week against the Texans, where Young outdueled 2nd-overall selection C.J Stroud.
Reich may not be as fiery as his replacement in Indianapolis is, but he is still a competitor. You can bet he, and his team, will desperately want to get revenge on the Colts, especially with how his departure was reportedly handled by the team and Colts owner Jim Irsay.
For the Colts, a loss to the Panthers would truly be a low point for the season. The Colts have lost 3 straight and have given up 35+ in each of those games. Their offense has been productive, scoring 20+ in every game they’ve played, but the defense has fallen apart. The Panthers, on the other hand, have scored less than 20 points in 4 of the 7 games they have played. The most points they have put up so far was in a 37-27 loss to the Seahawks.
Last week against the Saints, the Colts defense was the remedy the Saints needed to get out of their offensive rut. If the Panthers also have a big day offensively, and the Colts fall to 3-6, the wheels could completely fall off of a season that is already circling the drain.
During Wednesday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, the voice of the Carolina Panthers Anish Shroff joined the show, where he talked about the improvements made in the last several weeks by Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
“Bryce Young has started to play pretty well, and when you watch how much the Panthers put on him, the checks at the line, the calls at the line, it’s not the center doing that. He’s doing that.”
Anish also spoke on his belief that Young is primed to have a big game soon.
“Bryce Young, and I’ve been saying this for weeks, he is about to have a game, probably in this next month, where he’s going to put up wow numbers, and you’re going to go ‘Ope, okay, that’s why they took him number 1,’ and given what’s going on with Indy’s secondary, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s this Sunday.”
Listen to JMV’s full conversation with Anish Shroff and more below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
