Time for a poem.
T’was the weekend before Christmas and NFL Sunday was on still.
Then the Indianapolis Colts came along and my Christmas spirit almost plummeted to nil.
The scoreboard stacked high with points accumulated with care, until Tennessee came calling to pull it back and give such a scare.
Until a third down conversion put the Colts out of sight, and we could finally say Merry Christmas Colts fans – you can now have a good night!
Well it is Christmas week, so I thought I would start with some fun, before I started moaning! Especially after this was a game the Colts actually won!
Because this can be such a frustrating team to watch. Moments of brilliance, supplemented by some real head scratching plays. And this game covered the full spectrum of Colts football.
Heading towards what looked like their first big blow out win of the year against the Tennessee Titans, the Colts inexplicably switched off.
A 38-7 lead became 38-30 heading into the two minute warning at the end of second half. Thankfully, a third down conversion all but sealed this game, but the Titans still got the ball back with seconds remaining. I can guarantee I was not the only fan thinking ‘oh no’ at this point.
One normal day of Indianapolis Football, that is all I ask for this Christmas!
Infuriating and brilliant
The game itself had some good moments. Jonathan Taylor had a huge day, going some way to redeeming himself for last weeks inexcusable error.
He hugged that ball so tightly running across the goal line this week I thought it might pop.
Anthony Richardson played alright. The defense had some ok moments as well.
But – and I say this with the greatest respect – this was a win against a 3-11 Titans team that has not been good this year at all.
In fact, they have been quite poor at times, and even benched quarterback Will Levis for this week’s game. And the Colts won by one score.
This is the huge frustration with this team. They can look brilliant at times. But they just do not seem to have the consistency required to really challenge the top teams in the NFL.
Of their seven victories this year, the Colts have not won a single game by more than one score. They have, however, lost by a margin greater than that on three occasions.
There are still two regular season games left to play. I do not think Nostradamus himself could predict what the Colts will do next in these games.
There is still a chance – mathematically – of reaching the playoffs this year, even if it does seem like a real long shot now.
I just want to see some consistency from the team in these final games, to play well in all three phases, and for all four quarters and see where it takes you.
That would make for a nice Christmas present for Indy fans across the globe.
