Bleacher Report Pulls No Punches on Colts' Loss to Giants

The Indianapolis Colts aren't getting much sympathy from national platforms after a sad loss to the New York Giants.

Dec 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) is stopped by the Giants defense during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts shamefully dropped their playoff hopes to the awful New York Giants 45-33 at MetLife Stadium. While losing in the NFL to lesser competition is an occurrence, Indianapolis' defeat tells more of a story.

Bleacher Report didn't hold back, calling the loss to the Giants 'embarrassing' and referring to the Colts as 'not' a legitimate playoff squad.

Sunday's loss officially eliminated Indianapolis from playoff contention. It also showed that Indianapolis isn't particularly close to being a legitimate contender in the AFC.

- Bleacher Report NFL Staff

After taking Anthony Richardson fourth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Indianapolis likely saw some sort of success in the first few seasons. However, heading into Week 18 against the Jacksonville Jaguars nothing seems comfortable for the Colts' future, regardless of if they finish 7-10 or 8-9.

The reality is that the Colts had no business having three offensive turnovers and letting up five touchdowns to quarterback Drew Lock. However, now the realness of missing the playoffs for the fourth-straight campaign is setting in. Bleacher Report continued by calling out Indy's performance.

Sunday's performance was an embarrassment, and the Colts entered the week ranked 29th in total defense and 23rd in points allowed. That's not going to cut it in an AFC field led by the likes of Kansas City and Buffalo.

- Bleacher Report NFL Staff

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The Colts have issues on the field, but nowhere more glaring than defensively, especially after this loss to the Giants. The Colts and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley allowed Lock to look like a superstar when he's nearly bad enough for a practice squad spot. As Bleacher Report points out, it simply won't cut it in the modern AFC.

The Colts have a lot of decisions to make after the season is over, and they'll be hard ones. However, if this team wants to show their fanbase it's serious, it might take a removal of a big name like general manager Chris Ballard of multiple coaching staff members. Regardless of the result of the Jaguars tilt, this loss in New York will sting and stay.

Completely expect change within the walls of the Colts' organization. Whether it's in the form of an executive/front office member, coach, or player, one thing is for certain: this team is completely lost with no clear or professional direction, and that's bad for many, but perhaps no one more than Richardson.

We'll see what happens in the following weeks after the lights go out on Indy's regular season following their last home defense of 2024 against the AFC South rival Jags.

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