Stampede Blue
The Colts are on the road this week to take on the Broncos in this week 15 match up. Get in on this open thread.
The Indianapolis Colts are on the road to take on the New England Patriots for their week thirteen game, Sunday at 4:25 p.m. EST.
Week 13 feels like it took place months ago, but that’s just the way things work in the NFL. The league comes at you fast and a one point win on the road against a bad New England Patriots squad, that required late game heroics from your 22 year old quarterback who is still completing less than 50% of his passes, just doesn’t move the needle enough to keep the online Colts collective pacified for long. And frankly, it shouldn’t.
Two weeks ago we saw defensive coordinator Gus Bradley fail to find answers for the only starting quarterback younger than Anthony Richardson. Drake Maye, shredded the Colts defense. Bradley who was, spurned early by Maye’s scrambles when man coverage had been called, became timid, preferring to sit back in deeper zones so that his defenders could keep their eyes in the backfield. Maye seemed to enjoy the treatment he received, sitting back making quick reads before any rush could get to him. The young passer went 24 for 30, for 238 yards 1 touchdown and 1 very unlikely interception.
If you are hoping that Gus Bradley won’t return for 2025, just know that the defensive performance in week 13 was bad enough to cost jobs. In fact, with a Colts loss, I was positive that Gus wouldn’t survive the rest of the week at Colts HQ. Jim Irsay doesn’t like losing to the Patriots and to lose in such an embarrassing way... well heads would have rolled. Instead week 13 saw Anthony Richardson put the team on his back and pull out an unlikely last second 2-point conversion propelling his team, and Gus Bradley’s job, to victory.
So with week 15 upon us and week 13’s game as the freshest example of Colts football we have, frankly, if we get the same Colts from week 13 they don’t have a chance in this one.
Now, having said that, the week 13 Colts weren’t the Colts we’ve seen all season. Offensively, Anthony Richardson, has taken big steps forward and seems to be improving each week. His teammates, however, seem to be falling apart. A combination of injury and poor play have taken a talented unit and put it on it’s head. Michael Pittman Jr. has been up and down, with more down due to a lingering back injury. Josh Downs is the teams best receiver but he missed week 13 and has been dealing with ankle and shoulder injuries. Jonathan Taylor, while still productive, can’t seem to shake off an ankle injury he suffered earlier in the season and the offensive line is struggling to come all the way together as at one time, 3 out of 5 men starting were...
