Colts' 3 Best Performances of 2022

The 2022 season was supposed to be a big one for the Indianapolis Colts.

However, through Week 13, they are a mediocre 4-8-1 with playoff hopes dashed. Now, sitting on a bye week, we discuss the few games that the Colts played at a high level; as a team, individually, and through great coaching.

In order, we provide the three most positive performances for the Colts and what keys stood out the most from each game.

Week 3: 20-17 Win vs. Kansas City Chiefs

We will start with Week 3 when the 0-1-1 Colts had their first home game of the year against Patrick Mahomes and the always high-octane Kansas City Chiefs.

Struggling mightily in Jacksonville the previous week, going 16-of-30 passing for 195 yards and 3 interceptions, quarterback Matt Ryan looked on track to struggle again in his home debut. However, this was not the case, as it was Ryan who turned back the clock and delivered his first clutch performance of the season.

Going into the fourth quarter down 17-13, Ryan had already connected for his lone touchdown with rookie tight end Jelani Woods, so there was a shot it could happen again. With Mahomes not performing his best on the day due to a smothering Colts defense (20-of-35 for 262 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception), and Jonathan Taylor being bottled up in the ground game with 21 carries for 71 yards, it was a chance for Ryan to shine in the big spotlight against a massive favorite.

On the final drive of the game with only 24 seconds on the clock, Ryan connected with Woods again to seal the game for the Colts, giving them the 20-17 victory to pull to 1-1-1. The crowd erupted as if a trip to the Super Bowl was following, and Ryan showed he could lead a team to victory in the fourth quarter, regardless of the opponent.

Interestingly enough, this wouldn’t be the first time we’d see Ryan pull heroics late in a game.

Week 6: 34-27 Win vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Next, we go to Week 6, where the Colts are now 2-2-1 and hosting the Jaguars, who shut out the Colts in Week 2.

Ryan was coming off of a 12-9 victory in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos, but it was far from a good performance, as the Colts had to rely on kicker Chase McLaughlin to score each time. Not to mention, then-Colts running back Nyheim Hines and starter Taylor were both injured, so the Colts had to rely on a combination of Deon Jackson and Phillip Lindsay to shoulder the ground game. Needless to say, fans were skeptical of the Colts' offense against Doug Pederson’s squad. But, this is the NFL, and everyone is still a professional.

That includes Jackson and rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce. Jackson had a touchdown on the ground, but it was his receiving that stood out, with 10 receptions for 79 yards. Ryan also surprised with a ridiculous 42-of-58 for 389 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, many targets going to Michael Pittman Jr., who had 13 catches for 134 yards.

The biggest play came with 17 seconds remaining when Ryan connected on a 32-yard touchdown to Pierce to snatch the victory from the clutches of defeat, winning 34-27.

Then-head coach Frank Reich had a great moment on the sidelines with Ryan, hugging in excitement over another nail-biter spectacle. It’s worth mentioning that Trevor Lawrence was nearly perfect at 20-of-22, but for a mere 165 yards and a touchdown. This is due in large part to the 25 combined tackles of linebackers Bobby Okereke (13) and Zaire Franklin (12).

It was another impressive performance from Ryan with Reich still around, but the final game we’ll look at had a different presence to lead Indianapolis to the promised land.

Week 10: 25-20 Win @ Las Vegas Raiders

Coming off of a brutal three-game losing streak after an impressive home win against the Jaguars, owner Jim Irsay removed Reich from his position before Week 10 and placed interim coach and former Colts center Jeff Saturday at the helm.

This was after an embarrassing, 26-3 loss to the New England Patriots, putting the Colts at a weak 3-5-1 record.

Many weren’t confident in the Colts in their matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders due to the quick change, the losing streak, and Ryan being placed once again into the starting quarterback role. Fastrack to Sunday in Las Vegas against the 2-6 Raiders and you have a performance from, not Ryan, but Taylor that pushes the Colts to the win column.

The Raiders kept Ryan throwing short, but Taylor finally was free to let loose for a 66-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, propelling the Colts into the lead, 19-14, and himself to 147 rushing yards on the day.

It was then a touchdown pass to Parris Campbell in the fourth quarter that would put the Colts up on the Raiders for good, 25-20, with 5:07 left. However, Derek Carr is on the other sideline and he, paired with Davante Adams, tore it up, connecting 9 times for 126 yards and a touchdown.

As the previous two games discussed, this came down to the wire; the final play. With a last-chance effort in the red zone, Carr chose to throw a 50/50 ball to Adams with cornerback Stephon Gilmore covering. With a battle for the score, it was Gilmore who left the Raiders with another loss under head coach Josh McDaniels to limp to 2-7.

This is currently Saturday’s lone win.

With four games left and a lot of interesting headlines ahead, will we see another game worthy to be placed on a list like this one?

There is a chance, especially with young talent like Woods, Pierce, Nick Cross, Isaiah Rodgers Sr., and Bernhard Raimann being on the field, and in some cases, getting more snaps to create more opportunities.

Silver linings are a welcome light during dark times. In the case of the Colts, it’s time to see what those silver linings are to end the 2022 campaign.

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