Super Wild Card Weekend Proves to Colts What Franchise Needs
As the NFL playoffs began with Super Wild Card Weekend, the Indianapolis Colts found themselves watching from home for the third time in four seasons.
The Colts did not even sniff the playoffs in 2022. That happens when you finish 4-12-1 on the year, ending the season on a seven-game losing streak.
As owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard finished their first round of head coaching interviews on Saturday, they likely took in some of the action from this weekend’s games. What they saw should give them a clear indication of what the Colts need to do this offseason if they want to have any chance at competing for a Super Bowl in the future.
Let’s start with Saturday night’s game that saw the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, winners of the AFC South this season. The Colts played both of these teams in 2022, falling to the Chargers 20-3 and splitting their two matchups with the Jaguars (L 24-0, W 34-27). Both teams have young star quarterbacks in Justin Herbert (Chargers) and Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars).
The Chargers quickly bolted out – no pun intended – to a 27-0 lead in the first half as the game looked like it was out of reach quickly. Lawrence threw four interceptions in the first half as he was well on his way to breaking the record for most interceptions thrown in a playoff game. But the former No.1 overall pick did not stop fighting.
On the back of Lawrence throwing for 185 yards and three touchdowns in the second half, combined with some masterful play calling by Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, the Jags stormed back in a big way. Riley Patterson’s 36-yard field goal as time expired gave the Jaguars a 31-30 win, completing a 27-point comeback (third largest in playoff history) and sending them into the divisional round.
© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Last season, Lawrence looked lost as a rookie, and some wondered whether he would live up to the hype he had generated as a prospect. But after the Jaguars hired Pederson as head coach and brought in a coaching staff to build around Lawrence, the young quarterback has taken a giant leap forward this year. Pederson and his group have quickly created a culture in Jacksonville of continuing to fight for one another no matter the circumstance, and the players have bought in.
Another game that stood out this weekend was a Sunday afternoon matchup between the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings. Like the Chargers and the Jaguars, the Colts also saw both of these teams during the 2022 season. Indy embarrassingly lost to both, as the Vikings completed the largest comeback in NFL history against the Colts (33 points) while the Giants ran them out of the building (38-10).
While this game did not feature a massive comeback like the one previously talked about, it did feature another young quarterback putting on a show. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been a very polarizing figure since the Giants drafted him with the No.6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Before this season, Jones had produced very little on the field, and many wondered if he would earn a second contract in New York.
That question seems to have an answer. Jones torched the Vikings on Sunday with both his arm and his legs. He was 24-of-35 (69%) for 301 yards and two touchdowns through the air while adding 78 yards on 17 carries on the ground. The Vikings didn’t have an answer for Jones as he led the Giants to a 31-24 victory.
Until this year, Jones had been a turnover machine. In his three previous seasons, Jones threw 29 interceptions and fumbled 36 times. In 2022, Jones threw just five interceptions and fumbled just six times. What changed this year?
© Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants hired head coach Brian Daboll, the former offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills who was instrumental in the development of Josh Allen. Daboll hired Mike Kafka as his offensive coordinator, coming from the Andy Reid coaching tree with the Kansas City Chiefs. Putting a competent coaching staff around Jones and tailoring the offense to his strengths has vastly improved a Giants team that picked in the top five of the NFL draft just last spring.
So, after watching what transpired over Super Wild Card Weekend, it should be obvious to both Irsay and Ballard how crucial it is for the Colts to hit on their head coaching hire and whoever they draft at quarterback. Hitting on one or the other simply is not enough to win in the NFL today.
Herbert is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but the coaching staff of the Chargers continuously holds him back from reaching his full potential. On the flip side, Lawrence and Jones are experiencing career years with coaching staffs that have instilled confidence in them and have put them in the best position to succeed.
The Colts will be looking to capture what these other teams have. Starting with the head coach, the Colts need to hire someone with a plan in place on how they can set up their young quarterback for success. Building a system tailored to his strengths while assembling a coaching staff that can help develop the rookie is crucial to the future success of the franchise.
The quarterback selection is not a given, either. The Colts will do a deep dive on every quarterback prospect over the coming months. Their physical ability, mental capacity, toughness, and work ethic will all be put to the test to determine who is the right fit to lead this franchise into the future.
Hitting on both the head coach and quarterback will fast-track the Colts’ return to prominence in the NFL. However, not hitting on both will continue years of mediocrity and struggle for a franchise that is in desperate need of a savior.
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