5 Things Learned: Bad Joe Flacco Dooms Colts

Source: Andy Lyons / Getty

INDIANAPOLIS – It’s never good when the home crowd is booing you in the first quarter.

The Colts (4-6) boo birds were understandable though as an awful start from Joe Flacco set the tone for the 23-13 loss to the Bills in Week 10.

Here is what we learned from the Colts dropping their third straight game:

FIVE THINGS LEARNED

1. Awful Joe Flacco:

Awful Joe Flacco: Theoretically, the Colts are starting Joe Flacco for his professionalism and vast experience. They aren’t starting him for awful decision-making. Well, the Colts got horrible decisions from their 39-year-old quarterback to start Sunday’s game against the Bills. On the Colts first offensive play of the game, Flacco’s pass was picked off when targeting Josh Downs on a simple zone drop from the Bills. Then on the second offensive drive, a screen attempt to Jonathan Taylor was intercepted by a Bills defensive lineman. Flacco responded nicely, but this catastrophic quarterback play set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. What is truly damning about those INTs is both were poor, poor decisions, something you’d expect from an Anthony Richardson, not the vastly experienced ‘win now’ Flacco. Steichen said after the game he did not give thought to benching Richardson. “Until I say otherwise, Joe is the starter.” Simply, Flacco has been a turnover machine since the Colts have turned to him as their new starter. A benching was thought to improve the Colts playoff chances has only hurt them. Two weeks in, Shane Steichen’s decision to bench Anthony Richardson for Flacco has gone horribly. Steichen, who at times has been deservedly lauded for his offensive mind, mysteriously hasn’t even explored a Richardson short-yardage package either, with a costly 4^th-and-2 sack occurring late in Sunday’s third quarter, which proved to be a huge play in any Colts comeback attempt. For this Sunday, Flacco’s play to start the game was inexcusable for a 39-year-old making his 189^th career start. Back to more Steichen questions on if the Colts are sticking with Flacco, after the offense has had 2 touchdowns and 6 turnovers in the last two weeks. Welcome to the sad state of the 2024 Indianapolis Colts.

2. Commendable Defensive Effort

Commendable Defensive Effort: Despite not getting the ball to start Sunday’s game, the Bills built a 10-0 lead some 10 minutes into the contest. And almost none of that lead was due to Josh Allen being Josh Allen. The Colts defense eventually broke a bit in this one, but without that unit stepping up early on, fans would have hit the exits even earlier. In Sunday’s first half, the Colts got some really needed playmaking in pass coverage from their two linebackers. First, it was Zaire Franklin in 4^th down coverage on Bills wideout Curtis Samuel to break up a pass and force a field goal. That was a potential 4-point play. Later in the half, Josh Allen appeared to have a big completion waiting, but the long arms of E.J. Speed snatched the attempt for a key interception the Colts then turned into 3 points. In the 3^rd quarter, Kenny Moore II joined the playmaking department with a great read/jump of an Allen pass for a huge interception, again giving the Indy offense the ball on the Buffalo side of the field. But the offense got 0 points out of it, with Flacco sacked on a 4^th-and-2. If you would have told Shane Steichen prior to the game his defense would pick Allen off twice (Allen had been intercepted twice all season on 262 attempts. Yes, the Colts have not beaten a quality/upper echelon quarterback in more than 13 months, but the defensive effort on Sunday against an MVP candidate at least provided some early-game hope. Instead it was a 5^th straight game of the Colts not scoring 20 points.

3. QB Importance Reminder

QB Importance Reminder: While Sunday was not some perfect Josh Allen afternoon, he still made some MVP-type plays that separates that position (and a talent like him) from every other one on the football field. Sunday, with Allen playing his first ever game inside of Lucas Oil Stadium, served as quite the harsh reminder of the what the Colts need to be striving for at the most important position in sports. A band-aid, aging veteran approach at quarterback is no way to operate in NFL life. If you are trying for sustained success in this league, you need to do everything you can to find that answer at quarterback. Look at the teams/quarterbacks leading the 4 divisions in the AFC right now (Buffalo-Josh Allen, Baltimore-Lamar Jackson, Houston-C.J. Stroud, Kansas City-Patrick Mahomes). Those are types of quarterbacks it takes to create a run where routine trips into January are possible, unlike a decade-long divisional title drought, like the Colts. The Bills are not some outright juggernaut in tons of offensive/defensive categories. But a player like Allen can cover up so, so much. And it’s a player like that the Colts need to strive for. If you want to be optimistic, those 4 QBs mentioned above were drafted all over Round 1 (Stroud-2 overall, Allen-7^th overall, Mahomes-10 overall, Jackson-32^nd overall). Whether it’s Anthony Richardson or not, the Colts must continue to swing for the fences and find that type of talent.

4. AD Mitchell Steps Up

AD Mitchell Steps Up: With the Colts deciding to (finally) sit Michael Pittman Jr., that brought more responsibility to rookie AD Mitchell. After a pretty slow start to his rookie season, Mitchell stepped up nicely on Sunday. It wasn’t perfect for Mitchell on Sunday, but he did lead the Colts with 6 catches for 71 yards (and was fortunate a first-quarter fumble was recovered by his teammates. Mitchell’s quiet start to his NFL career wasn’t all his fault. The Colts have been bullish in believing Mitchell was getting open routinely and a game like this would eventually be there. Now the questions turn into: How long will the Colts sit MPJ and his lingering back problem? Will Mitchell be able to string a few of these performances together?

5. Third Straight Loss

Third Straight Loss: A third straight loss to the Colts (4-6) puts them two games under.500 with 7 contests remaining. Every loss this time of year for a team under .500 continues to shrink those fading playoff chances, especially ones in conference, like this one. Outside of a 5-2 finish (with road wins over the Jets and Broncos), the Colts are probably looking at a 4^th straight year of not postseason football. Plus, another loss this time of year is a double whammy for those in the short-term camp or the long-term group (not playing Anthony Richardson). Following the Colts getting to 4-3, after (another ugly) win over the Dolphins, Shane Steichen didn’t shy away from saying his team needed to play better, indirectly knowing the competition was about to increase. Well, since those comments, the Colts have lost 3 straight to the Texans, Vikings and Bills. The days of getting away with subpar performances, yet still finding ways to win, is no longer possible with the schedule improving. The result is a 4-6 football team looking up at the AFC playoff picture with hopes and prayers.

6. Quick Hitters

QUICK HITTERS

-Injury Report: The following Colts were INACTIVE on Sunday: WR-Michael Pittman Jr. (back, finger), DE-Genard Avery, WR-Anthony Gould, DE-Adam Gotsis, S-Darren Hall. These Colts got hurt on Sunday and did not return: OT-Bernhard Raimann (knee).

–Key Stat: Joe Flacco has committed 6 turnovers in his 2 games since being named the starter “going forward.” Flacco is 1-3 as the Colts starter this season. 

-What’s Next: The Colts (4-6) are back on the road in Week 11, playing the Jets (3-6) at 1:00, a game that was flexed out of Sunday Night Football this past week.