The Indianapolis Colts committed four turnovers against the Buffalo Bills and now have their longest losing streak of the season. The Colts have now lost three games in a row and appear to have entered a regression of sorts, especially on offense. We knew this part of the schedule would be difficult, but the team looked completely lost offensively. The defense (again) kept them in the game and continued to play well despite the offense not helping. The tailspin began after questionable post-game comments from HC Shane Steichen and longtime Colt Kenny Moore II provided reasoning for yet another boring offensive performance.
Joe Flacco Is Not The Answer
The Joe Flacco experiment continued this week, and he continues to underwhelm. This week, Flacco threw for three interceptions and lost another fumble. He had two other balls that were nearly picked off as well. In the last three games, the Colts offense has averaged about 17 points per game, which is not winning football.
While you can blame Steichen for some of this, and it’s warranted, Flacco is ultimately the one making the mistakes. For the same reasons that this franchise (presumedly) benched Anthony Richardson for, Joe Flacco is now committing the same problems. Accuracy is not his problem, but the turnovers and inconsistent play are now the issue. He may have the “veteran leadership” they wanted when he signed him this offseason, but the losing ways continue.
Offensive Concerns Continue To Pile Up
Another week of troubling regression from this offense. We saw it from the very first play where Joe Flacco threw a pick-six. A simple throw that he has probably thrown thousands of times in his career. A throw that can used to just get things moving he could not complete. The offense seems to be simplified with Flacco under center. It was expected when you take away the mobility aspect that Richardson brought to the table.
Shane Steichen, who is/was known as a “quarterback whisperer,” or one that excels at the development of that position, is failing at the development and abstract nature of play calling. This offense is now a boring and predictable product with Flacco leading the charge. Even with Jonathan Taylor, who was terrific (again) against Buffalo, they saw no other running back have a rushing attempt. We saw Tyler Goodson get some play in the passing game and achieve the only meaningful touchdown of the game.
It appears that the soap opera of who will start at quarterback will continue this week as Steichen seems committed to Flacco, even with the same struggles. The argument to keep Flacco as the starting quarterback is beginning to lose validity with each passing week. As a starter, he is now 1-3 and obviously, not the future of this franchise. This loss takes them to 4-6 on the season and they continue to show that this offense cannot contend for anything meaningful this season. There is no reason to continue putting this terrible product on the field anymore. It’s time to go back to Anthony Richardson, regardless of what anyone thinks.
Concerning Post Game Comments
Aside from the post-game comments of Shane Steichen continuing to pledge himself to Joe Flacco, we heard some concerning comments from numerous leaders of this defense. Those leaders include Kenny Moore II, Zaire Franklin, and Julian Blackmon. Their locker room comments imply that this team is not playing to its full potential and that some players and staff are not putting in the work needed to be successful. While he gave no specificity on who may or may not be pulling their weight, it appears that it is more than a handful of players and staff.
Kenny Moore II with some strong comments in the locker room postgame:
“I don’t think everybody is working as hard as possible, and obviously it’s showing.”
“Year to year, it’s the same thing.”#Colts @WTHRcom pic.twitter.com/Kw47Gb61tk
— Dominic Miranda (@DomMirandaTV) November 10, 2024
The implication is now that this locker room is lost and typically history tells us that once it is lost, it is next to impossible to get it back, especially when the wheels have begun to fall this late into the season. While you can blame Shane Steichen it continues to be an organizational failure with this team from top to bottom. Ten games into the season and with zero direction or identity to this team, it’s now leaking out of the locker room. Who, where, or what went wrong is completely unknown at this time. Finger-pointing has come too late and being able to fix the problem has come too late. It’s time to break it all down and start over. Again.
More from The Blue Stable:
