Colts Ripped for Ushering in 'Blander' Brand of Football

Everything the Indianapolis Colts have done this offseason is focused on winning in 2025, by any means necessary.

Not every move has been popular -- the Daniel Jones signing has been a lightning rod for discussion for the last three months -- but the Colts don't care as long as their moves break their four-year playoff drought.

The Colts (the offense in particular) have been a boom-or-bust group over the last couple of years, especially with quarterback Anthony Richardson on the field. The third-year work-in-progress has looked downfield more than any other quarterback, including a league-high 18.9% of his passes traveling 20-plus yards downfield in 2024.

Whether it's Richardson returning under center in 2025 or Jones winning the job, USA Today isn't sold that it's going to be a fruitful endeavor.

Recently, USA Today ranked the entertainment factor of each NFL team, and the Colts came in 28th out of 32, only ahead of the New York Jets, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns.

"The Anthony Richardson rollercoaster was certainly wild, as the Colts chucked the ball deep so frequently that they averaged an astonishing 10.58 average depth of target, according to SumerSports, yet completed a league-worst 56.3% of their passes," wrote Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz. "That experience seems to have given the stakeholders some indigestion, however, and it seems likely that a blander brand of football could be in store with Daniel Jones threatening to seize the starting reins."

There have been plenty of fireworks in the Colts' passing game, including both Richardson and Joe Flacco consistently testing the ball deep last year -- Alec Pierce even led the NFL in yards per catch -- but like Middlehurst-Schwartz mentioned, the Colts didn't complete a high level of those attempts. Those downfield shots will likely be fewer and farther between if Jones wins the Colts' quarterback job.

The Colts' run game, for what it's worth, should be even better in 2025 than it was in 2024. Last year, Jonathan Taylor had 31 runs of 10-plus yards, despite missing three games, which was tied for the eighth most in the NFL. The Colts have added more playmaking behind him, as Khalil Herbert and DJ Giddens are considered more explosive upgrades from Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson.

Defensively, the Colts weren't so explosive in 2024. They allowed far too many big plays and far too many second-chance yards. They were tied for 25th in sacks (36), although they tied for seventh in takeaways (25). Still, they had just one of those returned for a touchdown, so they weren't very explosive in the category.

One thing is for certain when it comes to the outside view of the Colts in 2025, and that's onlookers are skeptical at best. Expectations are minimal, which could bode well for the team if they string wins together and get back on the right track.

Again, the Colts don't care how they win, just as long as they do.

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