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The Indianapolis Colts aren’t making the playoffs this season, but who knows, maybe next year will be a different story. The team was officially eliminated from playoff contention following the Jacksonville Jaguars’ recent win over the New York Jets.
It has been a nightmarish season for the Colts, who were supposed to emerge as one of the top teams in the NFL this season. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case as they currently own an unpleasant 4-9-1 record.
With their team's postseason dreams now ruined, Indy fans will now focus their attention on next year.
Here are three reasons why the Colts can redeem themselves and reach the playoffs next season.
#1 - New quarterback
Following Andrew Luck’s retirement in 2019, Indianapolis brought in several veteran quarterbacks who didn't prove to be the long-term answer for the team. We’ve seen guys like Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and then Matt Ryan this year, who has been benched not once, but twice in favor of Sam Ehlinger and now Nick Foles, who is set to start his first game of the season.
The Colts will likely take a quarterback in the first round of the 2023 draft. They currently sit at No. 6 pick with three games remaining.
Whether it’s Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson or somebody else, their rookie QB should play better than Ryan did this season, increasing the team’s playoff chances in 2023.
#2 - Experienced head coach
Indianapolis shocked the world by replacing head coach Frank Reich with former Colts center Jeff Saturday. When you hire someone who has zero NFL coaching experience, it’s going to raise a lot of eyebrows.
Saturday has a 1-4 record as Indy’s coach with a pair of absolutely embarrassing losses. The team was outscored 33-0 in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. They then blew a 33-0 lead versus the Minnesota Vikings, making it the biggest comeback in NFL history.
The team might just pull off the hiring of Jim Harbaugh. The current Michigan coach once served as the Colts’ quarterback during the '90s, and coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14.
In San Francisco, he compiled a 44-19-1 record and took the club to the Super Bowl as well as three NFC Championship games.
If the Colts can hire an experienced and successful coach like Harbaugh, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them reach the postseason next year.
#3 - Improved offensive line
Indy possesses the most expensive offensive line in the entire NFL. However, the unit has easily been one league’s worst this season. They’ve allowed 49 sacks, which is the third-worst total in the league.
Tackle Quenton Nelson, who signed a massive four-year, $80 million extension earlier this year, hasn’t looked like the same star that he was during the first four years of his career although he was recently named to the Pro Bowl.
If Nelson can return to form and the Colts manage to fix their offensive line issues via draft, free agency or trades, the team can surely have a better shot at a playoff spot.
Solid run-blocking for Jonathan Taylor and pass protection for whoever the quarterback will be, are definitely ingredients for a winning football club.
