Source: Justin Casterline / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS – The 2024 Colts fell short of their team goals.
No division title for a 10th straight year. No playoffs for a 4th straight year.
Organizationally, grading the units has already begun with Gus Bradley (and fellow assistants Richard Smith-linebackers, Ron Milus-defensive backs being let go).
It is time to do our own grading.
Here are some final grades for the Colts after the 2024 season:
1. Pass Offense: D-
Source:Getty
Pass Offense: D-
Evaluation: From a production, plus giveaway, point of view, the Colts passing offense was pretty putrid in 2024. Certainly, Anthony Richardson’s inaccuracy issues and an inability to find easy in the passing game plagued the Colts. Turnovers from Richardson, and even Joe Flacco, amplified the poor passing offense. While the receivers actually showed a little more in 2024, it wasn’t enough to get this grade any higher.
2. Rush Offense: B+
Source:Getty
Rush Offense: B+
Evaluation: It was a pretty good season for the Colts on the ground. Personally, I had a very high bar for this aspect of the 2024 Colts, thinking it could fall into the league’s elite. It didn’t quite crack that, but you still saw some glimpses of what Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor could do to future opponents. The Colts finished 2024 ranking 8th in rushing yards per game and 8th in rushing yards per carry.
3. Pass Defense: C-
Source:Getty
Pass Defense: C-
Evaluation: It was a bit of a mixed bag from the Colts pass defense in 2024. But I have to side with going slightly below average. The biggest strength of the group was finishing 4th in interception rate. That carries some heavy weight. But you can’t ignore the amount of passing yards given up, the lack of sacks and the inability to get their hands on more passing attempts.
4. Rush Defense: C+
Source:Getty
Rush Defense: C+
Evaluation: This seemingly constant strength finally got back there towards the end of the 2024. However, the start of 2024 can’t be forgotten when Joe Mixon and Josh Jacobs ran all over the Colts, significantly contributing to an 0-2 start to this season. The Colts ended up finishing 8th in yards per carry. Still though, that early start, with so much defensive retention there, was such a shocking beginning, and put the Colts in yet another early hole to start a season.
5. Special Teams: D+
Source:Getty
Special Teams: D+
Evaluation: Not sure I’ve ever seen a Colts special teams unit with more volatility. Matt Gay was a perfect 51-of-51 inside of 50 yards (including 33-of-33 on extra points), but was 3-of-9 in kicks longer than 50 yards. The kick return coverage unit finished dead last in yards allowed per return, with the Giants ripping one off for 100 yards to put a cherry on top. But the Colts also were top-half units in creating yards via their own returns (punt and kick). Add it all up though and it was still a below average third phase for the Colts in 2024.
6. Overall Grade: D+
Source:Getty
Overall Grade: D+
Evaluation: Let’s go over Colts goals entering the 2024 season. No division title: eliminated from the AFC South (the worst division in the AFC) with 3 weeks remaining; No playoffs: eliminated in Week 17. And those ugly streaks—no Week 1 wins since 2013, no wins in Jacksonville since 2014—continued for yet another season. And if you want to point to the long-term goal of Anthony Richardson’s overall development, that is trending in a negative direction, especially after seeing some rookie flashes. While the 8-win season is
