The Colts continued their 2024 season at home on Sunday against an NFC heavyweight foe in the out Lions. The Lions were 9-1 on the year, coming off a thumping week 11 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts went into week 12 without left tackle Bernhard Raimann again but saw the return of defensive end Tyquan Lewis who had been on injured reserve since week 4.
The Colts now sit at 5-7, currently second in the AFC South and 2 wins back from the leaders the Houston Texans. The Colts moved one game further back from being .500 for the year. The national media have moved the Colts down in the power rankings board after their loss against the Lions. Here is how the Colts stack up in the week 13 power rankings.
ESPN has the Colts ranked at 21.
“These rankings seem about right when looking at the Colts’ inconsistent results and current 1-4 stretch. They have shown flashes of promise in all areas, but there are fundamental issues undermining every phase of their team. The offensive line is suddenly an issue, which is severely limiting what was a solid running game. Defensively, the Colts are 17th in scoring defense (22.8 points), but that’s offset by giving up 375.8 yards per game (28th). Special teams would be better if not for kicker Matt Gay’s occasional misses (his 87.5% field goal percentage ranks 21st).”
NFL.com has the Colts ranked at 20.
“Hovering around a 25 percent chance to make the playoffs, the Colts probably need to run the table — or get darned close to doing so — to get in. The Week 15 game in Denver looks to be by far the toughest, and the Colts will have a bye right before, in Week 14. But they have made their own bed by losing four out of five and failing to draft off the dramatic win over the Jets to carry over some momentum against the Lions. Losing to the best team in the NFL is no shame, but the Colts missed a golden opportunity to flip the script early in the third quarter after Detroit turned it over on downs, up only 14-6. Instead, the Colts punted four straight times and never had a realistic chance again. There were dropped passes. Back-breaking penalties. Misfired passes from Anthony Richardson. The Colts never turned the ball over, but it was just a listless performance after hitting on a few big plays early.”
CBS Sports has the Colts ranked at 19.
“Anthony Richardson is improved, but they still aren’t scoring enough points. They had a chance to make the division close with the Texans losing, but they didn’t play well against the Lions.”
Bleacher Report has the Colts ranked at 21.
“The Indianapolis Colts are stuck in the in-between. The Colts aren’t a bad team…but they aren’t an especially good one, either. The Indy defense had little answer for the juggernaut that is the Lions offense. The Colts offense struggled Sunday—the team was 0-for-2 in the red zone, and after throwing the ball well in Week 11, young quarterback Anthony Richardson came back to earth, completing just 11 of 28 passes. Despite another rough day throwing the ball, teammate DeForest Buckner still believes that Richardson has a bright future.
“As a player, to go where you have never been and become the player that you want to be, you have to be willing to do things that you’ve never done and make certain sacrifices you’ve never made,” Buckner told reporters. “At the end of the day, there’s a price that needs to be paid. I feel like within this process the past two weeks, he’s been able to really see that and that’s what gives us so much confidence in him. Knowing that he’s rooting in the process and he’s developing as a pro.” Still after losing four of five, it’s fair to question how long the Colts can wait before they have to consider a Plan B under center. Because Richardson just hasn’t been good as a passer in the NFL.
Anthony Richardson needs help. The sophomore quarterback needs to play better, of course. But multiple instances occurred during Sunday’s contest against the Detroit Lions where others around the sophomore signal-caller let him down—Andrew Ogletree’s drop of what would have been a walk-in touchdown being the most obvious example. Richardson may never become an efficient operator. But it’s highly difficult to become anything when plays aren’t being made by others or are called back because of penalties”
Pro Football has the Colts ranked at 19.
“Amazingly, the Indianapolis Colts head to New England with a chance at a playoff spot despite having an offense and a defense that rank outside the top 20. To their credit, they have played the third-hardest schedule to this point in 2024, and so just being in the fight is admirable.
Indianapolis now has the second-easiest remaining schedule and five very winnable games around a Week 14 bye. Only one of those games comes against a team with a winning record, so if the Colts can string together competitive performances, they could win the division.”
