The Indianapolis Colts have recently become known as a franchise that isn’t afraid to forge a unique path. They brought in an ESPN analyst in the middle of the season to be their interim head coach. Not Jeff Saturday’s fault, but that act set the scene for a 1-7 finish to the year. Look no further than three weeks ago to see the latest example in which a 44-year-old retired quarterback was brought in as a final heave to save the season. While the experiment didn’t work, it wasn’t a total embarrassment either. Yes, the Colts are no stranger to the bizarre. That is why it is fitting they became part of history in the worst possible way over the weekend.
Leave it to the Colts to be the first team in 30 years to start 8-2 and miss the playoffs. Not since the 1995 Raiders has that been accomplished. On one hand, that statistic is a bit cheeky because a team has to be 8-2, not 9-1 or 7-3, but 8-2. That is how those little sports nuggets go though, right? He is the first player to throw for 303-yards and score two rushing touchdowns on November 12th, the day after welcoming the birth of his first daughter. It’s stuff like that which sounds relevant but isn’t. That isn’t to say that being the first team in 30 years to start 8-2 and not make the playoffs doesn’t carry any weight though. This statistic is much more meaningful and franchise altering than the 303 game after welcoming a child into the world.
What the Colts did this weekend was hard to stomach. Yes, they lost their starting quarterback, and that had a lot to do with. Yes, it was a slow burn, but it was still difficult to watch. Would Daniel Jones have beaten these Seahawks or 49ers teams? Watching the level of play over the last month, it is hard to say he would have done much better. Like sugar in water, it was hard watching something so sweet dissolve before our eyes. A huge Berlin win, a monster trade for a lockdown corner, and the best record in the league, all meaningless as the Colts wrap up another disappointing season. Maybe the Sauce Gardner trade will be a silver lining, but then again, the Colts thought they were giving up a pick in the high twenties, not the teens.
It’s hard to be mad about it because it happened in slow motion, preparing us for the end result. It’s not hard to understand the “why” though. A soft schedule got hopes up, a regression from Shane Steichen, and the inability of the Colts to adapt and make big plays ultimately sunk this ship. Where do the Colts go from here? No clue. They are back in no man’s land. This once proud franchise used to make history the rest of the league was envious of and strove to replicate. Now, the only history the Colts make is the kind the rest of the league wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.
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