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As is the case every year, only one NFL team avoided ending their 2021 season disappointed. But there was also only one team that finished last year losing in Week 18 to the worst-record team in the league with a playoff spot on the line.
That was the Indianapolis Colts. With that loss, one might expect the Colts to feel extra pressure going into this season. But head coach Frank Reich said that while there’s always pressure in the NFL, he and the team aren’t feeling more of it than usual heading into the 2022 season.
“I feel the sense of urgency to win now after last year happened,” Reich said to Zak Keefer and Stephen Holder of The Athletic on their podcast. “But it’s not because of the way last year ended.”
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Frank Reich Talks About Pressure in the NFL
The NFL is a “what have you done lately business.” It’s also a business measuredly almost predominantly by championships.
So pressure already exists in the NFL. Reich implied while on the Colts podcast from The Athletic that nothing the team did last season adds or takes away any of that for this fall.
“Naturally, there’s pressure to win. That’s the way it should be. That’s what you sign up for,” Reich said. “We all know what you have to do and we all know what happens if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do.
“This is the NFL, your job security is day to day. When you sign up as a head coach, you know that, you embrace that, you welcome that.”
Reich has posted a 37-28 record in four seasons as head coach in Indianapolis. Keefer and Stephen Holder said on their podcast that those 37 victories are ranked in the top 10 across the entire league during his tenure. Reich has also led the Colts to two playoff appearances.
There will now be pressure on Reich, especially with the Colts adding several key pieces this offseason, including Matt Ryan, Stephon Gilmore and Yannick Ngakoue, to lead Indianapolis to the next step — winning the AFC South and advancing to at least the AFC Championship for the first time in franchise history since 2014.
Putting to Rest the End of the 2021 Season for Colts
Indianapolis will begin the season with two road matchups against division opponents. That will include a return trip to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars.
Including the Week 18 defeat to end the 2021 season, the Colts have lost seven straight in Jacksonville. A victory against the Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field in Week 2 would go a long way for the Colts’ confidence early in the season.
But ultimately, winning the division and advancing the playoffs is more important. The Colts haven’t won the AFC South since 2014. Over the last seven seasons, every other team in the division has won the crown at least once.
It’s pretty safe to say, though, that Reich isn’t thinking about that either. He’s feeling pressure to win because that’s always the expectation in the NFL.
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