The Indianapolis Colts (4-4) enter the second half of the season looking to make a run for one of the final wild-card spots in the AFC playoff race.
After losing to the Houston Texans in Week 8 on the road, 23-20, the Colts essentially allowed Houston to wrap up the AFC South division.
Given that the Colts were the only main competition to potentially steal the division away, Houston moved to 6-2 on the season and 5-0 in the division.
The loss was a big one, but what followed was even more dramatic.
The Colts opted to bench struggling quarterback Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco, hoping the time off will give the young passer a chance to collect himself.
NFL power rankings Week 9
The Colts didn’t drop far in the latest NFL power rankings, according to Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News, and they find themselves on the cusp of turning either way approaching the midway point of the season.
21. Indianapolis Colts 4-4 (20)
“The Colts are getting sloppy play from Anthony Richardson, and it’s costing them in close games. Shane Steichen needs more time to give AR a full second-year evaluation, but like the Browns, Indianapolis might need to go to Joe Flacco to save its fading playoff hopes,” Iyer wrote.
Iyer wrote his snippet before the Colts made the decision to bench Richardson so good call on his part.
It’s an interesting decision to go to Flacco despite the team’s constant preaching of patience when it comes to Richardson’s development.
Either way, the Colts face an extremely difficult test in Week 9 going against a Minnesota Vikings team looking to bounce back after two straight losses.
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