Where Do The Colts Stand After Four Weeks?
The Indianapolis Colts situation sure is complicated. With a 1-3 record in a below average AFC South, the Colts are still in the race for the division, mainly because of the other teams incompetence rather than the talent on the Colts roster, but everything changes once Luck is cleared for return.
After suffering a huge blowout against the Rams the season seemed already lost and fans were already calling for Luck to be put on IR and to tank for Saquon Barkley or another blue chip prospect. Then Jacoby Brissett became the starting quarterback and things started to look a bit less depressing. Brissett gave the offense some sort of the flow and the defense actually recorded some stops, the Colts went from being the absolute worst team in the league to perhaps being competent, say a top 20 team at its best. Brissett is far from perfect but he is way better than backup Scott Tolzien, who should never play a single snap in the NFL again.
Brissett played well in a 16-13 loss in Week 2 against the Cardinals. The Colts lead late but ultimately blew the game due to some questionable coaching. In Week 3 against the lowly Browns. The Colts played another solid game and ended up sweating for it but in the end the result was a 31-28 win. The result is a bit misleading, as the Colts outplayed the Browns and should have won by more. Then came Week 4 at Seattle, the Colts toughest game of the season to date. At the half the Colts were up 18-10 and were clearly dominating Seattle’s offense and had found some success against a vaunted Seahawks defense, but everything fell apart in the second half, both on offense and defense and the Colts ended up on the wrong end of a 46-18 blowout.
Now after all this, what should the Colts do? Should the team avoid any possible reinjure to franchise quarterback Andrew Lucks shoulder, and let Brissett play the entire season for him to build up trade interest? Or should the Colts start Luck as soon as possible and aim for the playoffs as the team continues to improve and develop chemistry?
Either one of the two choices seems logical, tanking this season and going for a high draft pick while letting Luck rest and recover his shoulder fully will mean enduring watching the Colts lose plenty of games, and going somewhere between 4-12 to 6–10. But the rewards will be worth it next season when Ballard further improves the team and has the chance to add more talent through free agency and the draft.
Going all in this season means a good chance at a playoff spot, but nothing is guaranteed. And if Luck re-injures his shoulder or if he suffers any kind of injury at all due to the offensive lines poor play then the Colts would end the season at an even worst place than the team started it.
I personally think the Colts should just let Luck heal properly, roll the dice with Brissett and endure another season watching the playoffs from the couch in order to get better for next season. But the next two weeks could change everything, because if the Colts win the next two games then the playoffs will become a real possibility, and I would not be a true Colts fan if I said I do not want to see playoff football in Indy once again, with Andrew Luck starting at quarterback.
Feel free to tweet me at @matecaliz for any further Colts discussion, and as always, Go Colts!
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