It’s Time For The Colts To Blow It Up
Source: Justin Edmonds / Getty
It was all right there in front of them.
The Indianapolis Colts found themselves up 13-7 in the third quarter over the Denver Broncos in what essentially was a playoff game. A win would keep them in the thick of the playoff race; a loss would drop their chances dramatically, basically ending the season. Jonathan Taylor, the Colts highly paid veteran running back, had the ball, and was racing 41 yards towards the endzone. The Colts were about to be up 20-7; that is, until it was determined that Taylor dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. The ball bounced, untouched, out of the endzone.
Touchback. Broncos ball.
From that point on, things unraveled quickly. 13-7 eventually became 31-13. The Broncos offense finally came alive, and the Colts offense cratered, highlighted by a horrific trick play-turned-pick 6. Once again, the Indianapolis Colts found a way to blow a winnable game, and once again, they will likely spend another January sitting on the couch.
This has become the norm here in Indianapolis. A team once synonymous with winning is now mired in mediocrity. No divisional titles since 2014. One playoff win in two appearances during that same timeframe. What was once inconceivable, is now reality; the Colts are to the AFC South what the Texans and Jaguars were back during the Peyton era; cannon fodder.
What’s most frustrating about this is that it still is entirely possible, even likely, that Chris Ballard and company will return for another year. The Colts can still finish 9-8; if they do, don’t be surprised to hear them hype up how close they are to competing, how they just need one more season, and then they’ll finally get things turned around. It’s what they’ve done for years now, and it’s the only logical way to even attempt to sell the fanbase on another year under this group. At this point, however, even the most diehard Ballard apologists are running out of excuses, and even the most diehard Colts fan is tuning the team out.
If the Colts do actually fire Ballard, do they really want to endure another arranged marriage of new general manager and lame duck head coach? We’ve seen that song and dance before, and it isn’t pretty. It’s better to just rip the band-aid off and start fresh. Regardless of what happens with Anthony Richardson, and it’s likely that he is back in 2025, there needs to be a complete leadership house cleaning at West 56th Street.
Just don’t be shocked if the Colts decide to double down on mediocrity again. After all, it’s who they are now.
During the Monday edition of The Ride With JMV, Stephen Holder of ESPN joined the show, and he and JMV dove into the Colts, and how likely it is that Chris Ballard gets another shot. Listen to that conversation down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
