I’m not sure how bold of a prediction this is, but Conor Orr put together his annual ‘100 Bold Predictions’ for the upcoming NFL season with one of them being that the Colts are going to make the playoffs.
“People forget that Indianapolis was only narrowly out of the conversation a year ago,” wrote Orr, “despite having lost starting quarterback Anthony Richardson early in the season. Now, a combination of Richardson and Joe Flacco will reload for 2024 with a slightly improved defense. If internal opinion matters, the Colts are higher on themselves than a mid-level politician.”
There are plenty of reasons to be bullish about this 2024 Colts team. For starters, they are incredibly robust in the trenches on both sides of the football, with what should be one of the best offensive and defensive lines in the game. And as the old saying goes, if you can control the line of scrimmage, you can control the game.
Anthony Richardson is still an inexperienced quarterback and with that comes unknowns, but in the small sample size from last season, we saw his playmaking ability and elite arm strength on display. Also, it’s very important to note that he won’t have to do it all on his own either.
In addition to playing behind a stout offensive line, Richardson will have Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, along with Michael Pittman, AD Mitchell, and Josh Downs at receiver.
“One of my favorite picks in the entire draft was AD Mitchell going to the Colts,”
said ESPN’s Mina Kimes. “In part because of his upside as a true X receiver but also because of how he fits in with Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs. I view them as very complementary with Mitchell being the guy who can really take the top off a defense and win downfield. Everything is set up for Richardson.”
This will also be Richardson’s second season in Shane Steichen’s quarterback-friendly offense, and it’s oftentimes in that second season we see a big jump because of that continuity.
The Colts have their unknowns entering a new season like every team, which in addition to Richardson’s inexperience includes question marks in the secondary. However, the recipe for a successful season is certainly there as well.
“Well, I think you can see the communication and the chemistry with the guys,” said Steichen during minicamp. We signed a lot of our guys back, which I think that’s a bonus and I think that’s a plus for us.
“Sometimes, you get so many new faces here and then you got to recreate the communication piece of it. Guys know the standard. Guys know how to operate and I think that’s going to pay dividends come September and in the fall.”
