Indianapolis Colts: 3 Good, 3 Bad from 2023 Season

After a better-than-expected finish to the season for the Indianapolis Colts, it’s time to discuss both the good and the bad.

The Indianapolis Colts were coming into the 2023 campaign with a new head coach, a new quarterback, and a new mindset.

What ensued were highs and lows, but ultimately a finish that few expected and a lot of promise for the future of the franchise. While many storylines could fit, it’s narrowed to six total for this piece.

With this in mind, let’s get into the good and bad from the first season of the Shane Steichen era. 

The Good: Rookies Step Up

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Several injuries happened this year, especially to the Colts’ rookie class. The team selected 12 through the 2023 NFL Draft, but five would suffer season-ending injuries before the regular season or during the campaign. Below are the first-year players who were impacted:

• Quarterback Anthony Richardson: AC Joint Sprain (four games played)
• Safety Daniel Scott: Torn ACL (no games played)
• Running Back Evan Hull: Torn Meniscus (one game played)
• Linebacker Titus Leo: Knee (no games played)
• Offensive Tackle Jake Witt: Hip (no games played)

As displayed, three out of the five injured rookies didn’t see the field. However, other new additions played important roles for the team. Below are the players at key positions, along with games played and notable metrics from the season:

• Cornerback JuJu Brents: 9 games; 43 tackles; 6 passes defended; 1 interception
• Wide Receiver Josh Downs: 17 games; 68 catches; 771 yards; 30 first downs
• Offensive Tackle Blake Freeland: 14 games; 701 snaps played (131 left, 568 right)
• Tight End Will Mallory: 12 games; 18 catches; 207 yards; 69.2% catch efficiency
• Cornerback Jaylon Jones: 17 games; 44 tackles; 5 passes defended; 57.3 coverage grade (per Pro Football Focus)

These rookies were thrust into starting roles throughout the year. This has to give Steichen and Indy’s front office a lot of confidence going into 2024. This is especially true if the injuries can be limited with their 2023, and new draft picks. 

The Bad: Injuries

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While the rookies dealt with setbacks, numerous others also had issues staying on the field.

While there are always bound to be injuries here and there for every team, the Colts especially had this happen at crucial spots on the roster and key pieces missed the entire season or important games. With so many setbacks, some of the more recognizable will be put in this entry.

• Wide Receiver Ashton Dulin: Torn ACL (No games played)
• Tight End Jelani Woods: Hamstring (No games played)
• Center/Guard Danny Pinter: Broken Ankle (No games played)
• Right Tackle Braden Smith: Knee (Missed seven games)
• Defensive End Genard Avery: Knee (No games played)
• Cornerback Dallis Flowers: Torn Achilles (Four games played)
• Strong Safety Julian Blackmon: Shoulder (Missed final two games)

Several others like backs Zack Moss and Jonathan Taylor, as well as receiver Michael Pittman Jr., missed games as well.

The Colts will look to stay far healthier to make a playoff push in 2024. 

The Good: Sacking the QB

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The Colts set the Indianapolis-era team sack record with 51 this season (the previous was 46 in 2005).

The defensive front was a massive part of this, with ends Samson Ebukam (9.5), Kwity Paye (8.5), Dayo Odeyingbo (8.0), as well as defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (8.0) making up 34.0 of the sacks for the squad.

This is encouraging for the defense going forward that line coach Nate Ollie had the front on point for most of the season.

They’ll need to continue building off of a solid campaign to have any playoff chances in 2024. 

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The Bad: Consistency

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This one is quite simple, the Colts would light it up one week, only to underperform the following. At almost no point throughout the year did Indy play consistent football, whether offensively or defensively, to build much momentum overall.

While the defense could be most of this entry (five games with 30-plus points allowed), the offense also can be pointed to.

While Steichen started as hot as can be (scored 20-plus points in the first nine games), the Gardner Minshew-led offense fell apart at times in the latter half of the schedule. In four of the final eight games, the squad scored 20 or fewer points, resulting in up-and-down performances that ultimately led to no playoff appearance.

This can be attributed to several things; injuries, no starting QB, inexperience/rookies, etc.

Now that Steichen has a year under his belt and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is walking into year three, look for Indy to try to put together more win streaks and play better in the upcoming season. 

The Good: Shane Steichen

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Steichen was not projected to win more than about five or six games as a first-year head coach given the situation he was inheriting.

However, he smashed expectations, nearly winning the AFC South and finishing with a 9-8 record. This was the most wins the Colts had achieved since 2021 (9-8), with the Carson Wentz-led team having far higher projections, with some at the time predicting they could make a Super Bowl run.

Steichen drew up incredible play calls and helped the Indy offense outperform itself time and time again with multiple backups playing all over the place, most notably Minshew at QB and several reserves in the trenches. If Anthony Richardson can stay on the field and this attack can continue to improve, Steichen may just increase the win total in his second year and make another case for Coach of the Year. 

The Bad: Points Allowed

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Whether the scheme, inexperience with young players, injuries, or all of the above, the Colts were not good at keeping teams from scoring points.

On the season, Bradley’s stop-troops allowed 24.4 points per game, which was bad enough to place 28th in the NFL.

Given how Indy has to face the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans (twice), Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers in 2024, they cannot afford to do this again. If it happens, it’s likely that Bradley won’t be retained and may even see a mid-season exit if it gets too out of hand.

It remains to be seen if this young and hungry defense can make a big step against tougher competition than what they faced throughout 2023. 

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