It was one of the hardest games to watch but the Colts walked out of Empower Field At Mile High with a 12-9 overtime win over the Denver Broncos. The Colts improved to 2-2-1 on the season but there continue to be more questions than answers with this team.
Is Matt Ryan done?
How is the most expensive offensive line in NFL history this atrocious?
What is the actual goal of the 2022 season?
So many questions and little to no answers five games in. One thing for sure is the post-game festivities from Frank Reich and owner Jim Irsay would have you thinking the Colts just punched their ticket to the AFC Championship. Maybe it was just a sigh of relief or maybe winning really does cure all but to think this performance was any sort of acceptable would be foolish at best and football malfeasance at worst.
For those sick of the Ballard/Reich regime and longing for change, Thursday night’s overtime slog could have been a worst-case scenario. An ugly win? Absolutely. But a win that they already have begun to spin as one that puts them right back in the driver’s seat of the AFC South. Sure, that’s true for now but there are still 11 games left and the Colts have left little to no confidence in their fans that they can actually turn things in the right direction long-term.
Matt Ryan looks washed and the offensive line looks abysmal. Matt Pryor was a huge question mark at left tackle for everyone heading into the season except the decision-makers of the team. Quenton Nelson got paid and looks pedestrian, Ryan Kelly has seemingly lost a couple of steps, Bernhard Raimann is a rookie making rookie mistakes. It’s all bad right now, but a win, no matter how ugly, is being celebrated at West 56th today. They’ll have 10 days to try and right all the wrongs on this roster before they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars but the number of issues on this team at the moment are those that can’t be fixed in 10 days or even one off-season. These are issues that need to be addressed over multiple off-seasons.
Right now, everyone sees the massive warts on this team. They’ve been there for years and have only grown worse after multiple seasons of being unaddressed. Those who don’t see it are the ones who actually have pull in the organization. The ones who think they’re the smartest in the room. The same folks who are one of the very few celebrating a win this morning and not looking at the big picture. Who think this team is still a contender because they currently sit atop the AFC South. They’re fooling themselves but until that mindset changes, nothing will.
-Marc Dykton
To listen to Kevin & Query debate if this Colts win will do more harm than good, click the link below and be sure to listen to the show every weekday morning from 7-10 on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan!
