It must have been excruciating for the Colts and their supporters to watch the Houston Texans destroy the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round.
The Colts might have been playing the Browns at Lucas Oil Stadium in an attempt to get retribution for a contentious defeat during the regular season. Rather, it was the Texans who got to play another game in front of a boisterous home crowd; they were the team that defeated Indianapolis in Week 18 to progress to the playoffs and win the division.
The Colts probably wouldn’t have dominated the Browns the way Houston did. After going 16 of 21 for 274 yards and three touchdowns against Cleveland, C.J. Stroud, the rookie quarterback for the Texans, may already be ranked among the league’s top 10 quarterbacks, if not higher. He’s written what may turn out to be the greatest quarterback rookie campaign in history. Gardner Minshew, the quarterback for the Colts, is a good backup, but it’s difficult to see him mauling the Browns secondary the way Stroud did.
It goes without saying that Stroud’s performance emphasizes how crucial it is for the Colts to help Anthony Richardson, their rookie quarterback, improve.
The Texans will remain relevant for the ensuing ten years because to Stroud. The Colts need to use every bit of their $72 million in salary room to surround Richardson with quality and advance his growth if they hope to stay up with the game.
Yes, the Colts have good players. Josh Downs seems like he may be a nice find in the slot, while Jonathan Taylor is still one of the best backs in the game. Chris Ballard should make Michael Pittman Jr., a free agent, his top target when it comes to resignations. Even still, Pittman needs to be matched with a true game-changing receiver for the Colts. Though he has had his moments, Alec Pierce hasn’t done nearly enough to establish himself as a member of the starting lineup overall.
Although Richardson is still young and unproven, the little action he did see showed promise. If he is to succeed, he will require every bit of assistance. The Colts must make every effort to provide Stroud with that assistance if they hope to avoid having to watch him and the Texans for the next ten years.
On Monday’s episode of The Ride With JMV, ESPN’s Stephen Holder stopped by to share his opinions on a variety of topics, including C.J. Stroud’s rookie season and whether or not Chis Ballard will be more aggressive in free agency. Check out that discussion and more below, and listen in to The Ride With JMV on 93.5/107.5 weekdays from 3-6 p.m. The Admirer!
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