The arrival of quarterback Matt Ryan would allow the Indianapolis Colts to take the next step and become a team aspiring to major honors.
After two games in 2022, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The Colts struggled to extract a tie from the Houston Texans in the first week of action and were crushed seven days later. Indeed, they were shut out 24-0 by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
“It was embarrassing,” defensive tackle DeForest Buckner told ESPN after the game. We have been humiliated. We have to get back to work, accept the blows and grow from this experience.
Against the “Jags,” Ryan had a particularly tough matchup. The 37-year-old quarterback was obviously unable to find the pay zone and had three of his passes intercepted.
“I certainly had high expectations coming here,” he said. I didn’t think we would be 0-1-1 after two games. It’s just not in the mindset of a conqueror. We are at the current place and I think it is important to realize it. It’s brutally honest.”
Still plenty of time…
The good news for the Colts is that they still have 15 games left in 2022.
“As pathetic as it may seem today, compared to where we are and where we would like to be, we are not that far away,” said head coach Frank Reich.
“We have the players and the coaches to do it. I know it won’t convince the outside world, but I’m fine with it. We’ll take our meds, I’ll take mine, and we’ll keep doing the right thing.”
Reich and his Colts, however, will have to find a way to start their games in time if they want to turn things around.
“We just weren’t productive in the first half,” Reich said. Our passes weren’t working, we weren’t able to run the ball on our first and second tries. I feel like we didn’t rush more than two yards in the first half. It was frustrating because to be successful we need to be efficient on our first and second downs.”
The Colts will try to find solutions and restart their season next Sunday, when the mighty Kansas City Chiefs are at Lucas Oil Stadium.
