Is it do or die time for the Colts against the Bears?
0-2 sounds bad.
0-3 sounds downright nasty.
The Indianapolis Colts have yet to notch a victory in this young season, but time is running out if they want to avoid 2024 from becoming a lost year. If the Colts lose to the Bears at home on Sunday, the season won’t be technically over, but for all intents and purposes, it will be practically finished. Does that make Sunday’s game a must win for a team that came into the season with so many question marks yet much excitement? I think so.
The Colts love starting out slowly. Every year it seems they lose their first few games and set themselves behind the eight ball. With three games out of their first four at home, being anything other than 2-2 would be devastating. A 2-2 record already sounds disappointing, but that is the best they can salvage at this point. The road games start to pile up with only five more after week four at home. A young quarterback tends to perform better at home than on the road and to see that, look no further than the Packers game for Anthony Richardson in which he struggled mightily. We went from one of the greatest throws of all time at home to Alec Pierce to struggling to make basic completions.
The other aspect that makes this game so important is the Colts could quickly fade from any type of postseason aspirations. The Texans are 2-0 with a tiebreaker over the Colts. The AFC has a lot of quality teams that will be in the mix for a Wild Card spot too. It will be tough to come back in the division or against a crowded AFC field if they wait until the end of the season to start putting it all together. No wins through the first three weeks would most likely prove impossible for this young team to overcome.
If the Colts lose on Sunday, the season goes on. They could make a run for the playoffs later in the year, but the chances become drastically slimmer. It will be essential they get a win to not only remain in contention but to also bolster the confidence of the players. The season could get out of hand quickly if results don’t appear soon. No one predicted a Super Bowl for this team, but being in contention for the playoffs wasn’t outside of reality. The Colts still have time, but that time will run out quickly if they don’t clean things up and secure a victory against the Bears.
