Colts Media Rips Offense After Shutout Loss Against Jaguars

Matt Ryan

Getty Quarterback Matt Ryan has started his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts at 0-1-1.

The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2022 season as playoff contenders in the eyes of a lot of NFL analysts. That looks far from the reality of the first two weeks of the season.

The Colts sit winless at 0-1-1 through 2 weeks. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, the Colts were shutout 24-0.

As one would expect, the Colts media was highly critical of the team’s offense after it scored zero points in Jacksonville.


Colts’ Loss in Jacksonville Worse than Last Season’s

Indianapolis fell to the Jaguars for the eighth straight time on the road in Week 2. Last season, the Colts lost to the Jaguars, 26-11, in a win-and-in scenario.

It’s hard to imagine anything worse than a blowout defeat to a team that’s set to have the No. 1 pick with a playoff spot on the line. But The Athletic’s Zak Keefer wrote the Colts’ latest performance was “worse.”

“This was indefensible,” wrote Keefer.

“The Colts’ 24-0 shutout loss exposed every bit of this flawed roster, not to mention the poor coaching that came with it. Without wide receiver Michael Pittman, Jr., the Colts were lifeless on offense — Taylor had just 5 yards at the half.”

General manager Chris Ballard and head coach Frank Reich were pretty adamant during the offseason that the team had the pieces at wide receiver to have an elite offense with better quarterback play (Matt Ryan instead of Carson Wentz).

That’s not at all how it has looked, though, in the first 2 games.

“General manager Chris Ballard’s decision to roll with his wide receiver unit, as is, looks like a terrible one, two games in,” wrote Keefer.

But there was more than just the wide receivers at fault for the Colts in Jacksonville. The offensive line allowed 5 sacks, and the defense didn’t force a takeaway.

Colts writer Kevin Hickey of USA Today summarized it perfectly with his assessment of Indianapolis’ play in Week 2.

“The product the Colts put on the field Sunday was truly an utter embarrassment,” Hickey wrote. “There’s no other way to say it.

“This is rock bottom.”


Colts ‘Reeling’ & Enter ‘Critical Juncture’

It will be difficult to find any reporter to defend how Indianapolis played in Week 2. Three members of The Athletic’s staff concluded that NFL experts need to “reconsider” Indianapolis as a playoff contender.

“The Colts have more than enough talent to turn this around, and I’d expect them to at least be more competitive in future games,” wrote The Athletic’s Jeff Rowe. “But with that in mind, it’s inexcusable to start so poorly against the Texans and Jaguars, and they’re fortunate to even have a tie on their record under the circumstances.”

The Athletic’s Dan Pompei added that, “one disappointment at the start of a season can be a fluke. Two disappointments at the start of the season constitutes a trend.”

Not surprisingly, ESPN’s Stephen Holder used the word “reeling” to describe the Colts after Week 2. He also wrote that the Colts “already find themselves at a critical juncture” of the season.

That’s not exactly where a Super Bowl contender is supposed to be after 2 games. But it’s hard to disagree. The Colts will face Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans next.

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