The Indianapolis Colts needed to find a way to pick up their first divisional win this week in Nashville, and they did just that.
They came away with a 20 to 17 win over the Tennessee Titans on a day when they made plenty of mistakes on both sides of the ball. They now improve to 3-3 on the season and 1-2 in the division.
I have three big takeaways that could all have big impacts on the team for the rest of the season.
The Colts don't have a QB controversy
After positive reports throughout the week indicating Anthony Richardson would return to the starting lineup, he was shockingly made inactive just ahead of kickoff. So veteran Joe Flacco got his second straight start. He was able to put up over 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in their Week 5 loss . This week, the limitations with Flacco under center were on full display. The offense struggled throughout, and Flacco had multiple passes that could've, and, if we are being honest, should've been.
He ended the day with only one interception but had two negated by Titans penalties. He completed 22 of his 38 pass attempts for 189 yards, two touchdowns, and the interception. There are certainly elements of 39-year-old Flacco's game that are drastically better than 22-year-old Richardson's. However, the offense is also one-dimensional, with the defense not having to respect the run game at all, especially with Jonathan Taylor also out. And Flacco had his fair share of misses today on throws that he made look easy a week ago. Richardson is the Colts' starter, and when they view him healthy enough to play, he will on the field no ifs, ands, or buts. So, while the Colts are pumped, they have a backup who is capable of winning football games when his number is called; this is Richardson's team.
The Colts need to take drastic action on the defensive side of the ball
Today, the Colts defense luckily faced one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Overall, it wasn't a terrible day; their first touchdown came after a turnover by the offense that gave the Titans the ball with great field position. And they only allowed 10 points after that and 0 in the fourth quarter.
But the amount of coverage lapses and lack of effort in the run game has to have repercussions. I'm not sure what those repercussions are. Maybe it's benching a struggling starter or adding a different voice on the coaching staff. Last week, we saw the team waive Dallis Flowers due to his poor play, and there are multiple other players letting this team down week after week. They don't get to play the struggling Titans offense every week, so if they are going to make any real noise in 2024, they have to get this defense under control.
Tyler Goodson needs to be the starter while Jonathan Taylor is out
The Colts run game is desperately missing both Taylor and Richardson. But they continue to shoot themselves in the foot by not playing their best pure runner currently available, which is Tyler Goodson. Yes, the same Tyler Goodson who dropped the 4th down conversion to end the team's 2023 season. Over the past two weeks, he has made multiple dynamic plays out of the backfield. Both as a pass catcher and as a runner. He is more decisive out of the backfield and has more juice than current starter Trey Sermon. Sermon still has value as the best pass blocker in the RB room. Hopefully, the Colts will not have to wait too long for Taylor to make his return. But in the meantime, the Colts can't continue to give Sermon more carries than Goodson.
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