Indianapolis – The stage is set for the Colts. AFC playoff race, a primetime home game, and against a hated rival that the Colts have not beaten since 2009. Will they be able to capitalize? A win vaults them into the conversation with the top teams in the AFC while a loss brings out the same criticism the Ballard and Reich era has heard multiple times over. “They can’t compete with the top of the conference”, “The roster isn’t talented enough to get over the hump”, and “The Colts can’t seem to find a suitable replacement as franchise QB since Andrew Luck retired.”
On his show Friday, JMV and ESPN.com Colts Writer Mike Wells talked about how this game for the Colts means a lot more than just a win or loss in the standings as the 2021 NFL regular season heads down the stretch:
Mike Wells: “There’s more pressure on Carson Wentz than anybody on this Colts roster. There’s more pressure on him because this is the type of moment why the Colts brought Carson Wentz to Indy. To win games against playoff caliber teams. If they lose, there is still a chance to make the playoffs but it will say a lot more about this franchise than anything.”
JMV: “I think tomorrow night in a lot of ways defines where this team is, how they’ve been put together, it defines Wentz, it defines Ballard, it defines Reich. I know it’s a single game and often I make a lot out of single games but that’s how I feel…Situationally after a bye week, you could not be sitting with a better opportunity with how things look right now. To me you completely screw all that up if you go out there and lose tomorrow night. Maybe not in the long-term but in the short-term that is going to define a lot of folks in the Colts organization.”
Earlier in the week JMV said this is the 2nd most important regular season home game in Lucas Oil Stadium. It seems like the morale of potentially not only those in the organization but for the fanbase can be dramatically impacted by the outcome of the game Saturday night.
Listen to JMV’s keys to the game and more on the podcast below!
