Updated NFL.com Power Rankings, Where are the Colts?
The Indianapolis Colts were underdogs at home last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
They took a 21-17 lead into the fourth quarter before eventually losing 31-21. Overall it was a good showing for the Colts at home despite the loss. Anthony Richardson Richardson was arguably the most impressive of the rookie-starting quarterbacks and exceeded expectations in his first start.
However, NFL.com still found enough fault in their loss to drop the Colts from No. 29 to No. 30 in their first NFL Power Rankings release of the regular season.
Anthony Richardson's first NFL start was an interesting Rorschach test, simultaneously encouraging and providing a reminder of how far he and the Colts still must come. Elements of the Jalen Hurts playbook that made Shane Steichen a hot coaching candidate were on display, notably Richardson's TD draw play. But part of what was missing was the downfield passing. Most of Richardson's throws were quick, and 136 of his 223 passing yards came after the catch. He also dealt with a knee injury (suffered in the first quarter) and ankle injury on Sunday, coming out of the game in the final minute. Richardson's running ability was as advertised, and there were impressive throws scattered throughout, but you can tell this offense is in its developmental infancy. -- Eric Edholm, NFL.com
The Colts remain above the Houston Texans, who they face this week in Texas, and the Arizona Cardinals.
It seems a bit illogical to punish a team for losing a close game to a team that was favored.
The Colts were 4.5-point underdogs to the Jaguars, but they remain behind the Chicago Bears in the power rankings. The Bears were 1.5-point home underdogs to the Packers and got beat 38-20.
The New York Giants were 3-point home dogs to the Dallas Cowboys and got shellacked 40-0 on Sunday Night Football. The Giants fell nine spots, but they remain ahead of the Colts.
In the end, winning is all that matters, and the Colts failed to win.
Power rankings aren't going to win a single game this season. But if they're going to go through the effort of ranking the teams, we're going to critique those efforts.
For what it's worth, the Colts have a case for being higher in the NFL.com Power Rankings.
