September 22, 2015 at 5:46 p.m.
Not yet time to panic for Colts
Rays of Insight
“R-E-L-A-X.”
That was quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ message to Green Bay Packers fans last year after the team lost two of its first three games. He wanted the fans to calm down, promising everything would be all right.
Green Bay went on to win four in a row and nine of its next 10 on the way to the NFC championship game.
The same advice could have very well worked for the Indianapolis Colts, who were 0-2 last season. They also rallied, winning five in a row and the division title on the way to the AFC championship game.
Well, the Packers are just fine this year. But the Colts find themselves in familiar territory — 0-2 with a run of divisional games looming.
So, should Indianapolis fans follow Rodgers’ advice, or is it time to panic in the Circle City?
••••••••••
Reason to relax: As stated above, the Colts were in the same position last season.
They followed that 0-2 started with blowout wins against division rivals Jacksonville (44-17) and Tennessee (41-17) to start a five-game winning streak. By mid-December they were 10-4 and cruising to a playoff berth.
The schedule this year gets even more favorable, with the next three games all against AFC South opponents. If Indianapolis can sweep the Titans, Jaguars and Texans they’ll be 3-2 and in command of the division.
Reason to panic: This year’s 0-2 start is far different from that of 2014.
A year ago, the Colts lost by seven to Peyton Manning and the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos, and then fell 30-27 to the high-powered Philadelphia Eagles. They scored 51 points in their first two games.
This season they have lost to a Buffalo Bills team with an unproven quarterback and a New York Jets team with a rookie coach and a journeyman quarterback. In two games they’ve managed just 21 points while turning the ball over eight times.
••••••••••
Reason to relax: Andrew Luck.
So far, he’s completed just 54.7 percent of his passes. He’s averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt.
Those numbers are far off of what he did the previous two seasons, with a completion percentage above 60. His career average for yards per attempt is 7.1.
So, do we believe he’s the quarterback he has been for the last two years or the last two games?
Luck will turn it around.
Reason to panic: Moves that were supposed to help the Colts have not done so thus far.
Despite the addition of veteran Frank Gore, the running game remains anemic. As a team, Indianapolis is averaging 3.8 yards per carry. If we remove Luck’s 44 yards on eight attempts, that number drops to just 3.4 yards per carry by the running backs.
Andre Johnson, another veteran, was supposed to be a key cog in a potent passing game. Instead, he’s caught just seven of the 17 balls thrown his way.
••••••••••
Reason to relax: The AFC South remains the worst division in the NFL.
Jacksonville and Tennessee are both 1-1, and Houston is 0-2 along with the Colts. So the division is a combined 2-6, despite playing relatively weak competition over the first two weeks of the season. (Together they have only met one 2014 playoff team — the Carolina Panthers, who squeaked in at 7-8-1.)
The rest of the AFC South is quarterbacked by Ryan Mallett, Blake Bortles and rookie Marcus Mariota. Despite the rough start, Indianapolis remains by far the best team.
Reason to panic: Two of the upcoming three division games are on the road.
Winning away from home is never easy in the NFL, regardless of the quality of the opposition. And there’s no doubt those AFC South foes will see these games as their opportunity to push the Colts deeper into the hole and vault themselves into playoff contention.
Awaiting Indianapolis after the three-game divisional run will be the New England Patriots. Given that they have lost the last three meetings by a combined 130-49, the Colts really don’t want to be looking at that game as a must win.
••••••••••
History says only 11 percent of teams that start 0-2 make the playoffs.
So, should Colts fans be panicking, or staying calm in the belief that they will, like last season, be a team that rallies to make the postseason?
For now, I’ll go with the Rodgers answer: R-E-L-A-X. But a loss in any of the next three weeks would quickly change that outlook.
That was quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ message to Green Bay Packers fans last year after the team lost two of its first three games. He wanted the fans to calm down, promising everything would be all right.
Green Bay went on to win four in a row and nine of its next 10 on the way to the NFC championship game.
The same advice could have very well worked for the Indianapolis Colts, who were 0-2 last season. They also rallied, winning five in a row and the division title on the way to the AFC championship game.
Well, the Packers are just fine this year. But the Colts find themselves in familiar territory — 0-2 with a run of divisional games looming.
So, should Indianapolis fans follow Rodgers’ advice, or is it time to panic in the Circle City?
••••••••••
Reason to relax: As stated above, the Colts were in the same position last season.
They followed that 0-2 started with blowout wins against division rivals Jacksonville (44-17) and Tennessee (41-17) to start a five-game winning streak. By mid-December they were 10-4 and cruising to a playoff berth.
The schedule this year gets even more favorable, with the next three games all against AFC South opponents. If Indianapolis can sweep the Titans, Jaguars and Texans they’ll be 3-2 and in command of the division.
Reason to panic: This year’s 0-2 start is far different from that of 2014.
A year ago, the Colts lost by seven to Peyton Manning and the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos, and then fell 30-27 to the high-powered Philadelphia Eagles. They scored 51 points in their first two games.
This season they have lost to a Buffalo Bills team with an unproven quarterback and a New York Jets team with a rookie coach and a journeyman quarterback. In two games they’ve managed just 21 points while turning the ball over eight times.
••••••••••
Reason to relax: Andrew Luck.
So far, he’s completed just 54.7 percent of his passes. He’s averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt.
Those numbers are far off of what he did the previous two seasons, with a completion percentage above 60. His career average for yards per attempt is 7.1.
So, do we believe he’s the quarterback he has been for the last two years or the last two games?
Luck will turn it around.
Reason to panic: Moves that were supposed to help the Colts have not done so thus far.
Despite the addition of veteran Frank Gore, the running game remains anemic. As a team, Indianapolis is averaging 3.8 yards per carry. If we remove Luck’s 44 yards on eight attempts, that number drops to just 3.4 yards per carry by the running backs.
Andre Johnson, another veteran, was supposed to be a key cog in a potent passing game. Instead, he’s caught just seven of the 17 balls thrown his way.
••••••••••
Reason to relax: The AFC South remains the worst division in the NFL.
Jacksonville and Tennessee are both 1-1, and Houston is 0-2 along with the Colts. So the division is a combined 2-6, despite playing relatively weak competition over the first two weeks of the season. (Together they have only met one 2014 playoff team — the Carolina Panthers, who squeaked in at 7-8-1.)
The rest of the AFC South is quarterbacked by Ryan Mallett, Blake Bortles and rookie Marcus Mariota. Despite the rough start, Indianapolis remains by far the best team.
Reason to panic: Two of the upcoming three division games are on the road.
Winning away from home is never easy in the NFL, regardless of the quality of the opposition. And there’s no doubt those AFC South foes will see these games as their opportunity to push the Colts deeper into the hole and vault themselves into playoff contention.
Awaiting Indianapolis after the three-game divisional run will be the New England Patriots. Given that they have lost the last three meetings by a combined 130-49, the Colts really don’t want to be looking at that game as a must win.
••••••••••
History says only 11 percent of teams that start 0-2 make the playoffs.
So, should Colts fans be panicking, or staying calm in the belief that they will, like last season, be a team that rallies to make the postseason?
For now, I’ll go with the Rodgers answer: R-E-L-A-X. But a loss in any of the next three weeks would quickly change that outlook.
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