They were game and gutsy, but they still lost.
The Indianapolis Colts took a big step this season with their 11-5 regular-season record and by qualifying for the playoffs.
And none of that enabled them to defeat the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. After being dismissed as a contender by most NFL observers, the Colts scared the favored Bills before falling 27-24.
By most measurements, it was a feel-good season with most of the personnel changes of the offseason vindicated. The $25 million gamble on Philip Rivers paid off. Drafting Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman high was worth it. Trading for DeForest Buckner was a good deal.
Ordinarily, the team would go into this offseason on a high, feeling it was one step short of winning a division title next fall and becoming a genuine Super Bowl contender.
How accurate is that perception? Rivers was on the verge of retirement as he wrapped up his lengthy career with the Chargers and his contract with the Colts was for one year. Things worked well for Rivers in his partnership with Colts coach Frank Reich, for whom he worked in the past.
Reich wants one more season out of Rivers. On Sunday, Reich indicated he thinks Rivers, who is headed to the Hall of Fame, can still improve.
“Everybody gets incrementally better,” Reich said. “Maybe at 39 going to be 40, maybe that is harder physically, but there are other ways you can keep getting better, and really physically, he could do that. Yes, as I sit here right now, yes, I want Philip Rivers to be my starting quarterback next year.”
Based on performance, that makes sense. Rivers should be encouraged. He had a first-rate season, so if his heart is in it, he could continue. He also has the living, breathing examples of Tom Brady and Drew Brees starring at a high level at their age or older.
Given the depth of competition in the AFC, the Colts finished about where expected. Defensively, they excelled. The offensive line was better than most others. Young players shone, whether it was Taylor running for a team-record 253 yards or in other spots.
Mostly, Indianapolis dodged consequences of the coronavirus, adapting as well as any team to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a unique year. The 2020 season was a unique year,” Reich said.
He included the Black Lives Matter movement in his thinking, as well, citing the commitment to social justice issues by players and the organization. He diverted from football to quote Bernice King, Dr. Martin Luther King’s daughter.
“We have to face the truth of who we are,” Reich said, expressing concern about racial incidents that provoked demonstrations. He compared the country’s record to a sports team having “hundreds of years of losing seasons on this most important issue. Our organization and our team, starting with the players, I’m really proud of how active they were.”
It is too soon, the sting of defeat too recent, to dissect which Colts will turn the page on their careers, leave as free agents, retire, be cut, be traded. There is no such thing as standing still in the NFL.
“Only one of those 32 teams is going to be satisfied,” Reich said, referring to the last team standing holding the Lombardi Trophy. “The rest of us are going to be disappointed. So we are disappointed and hurt.
“Make no mistake about it, we have one goal and that is win a world championship, and then after that, it is to win more. But by not reaching our goal, it doesn’t mean we didn’t gain anything. It doesn’t mean that we didn’t grow. I believe we did, and it will help us as we begin that journey again next year.”
There are more moving parts in football than in any other sport with 11 starters on offense, 11 on defense, plus special teams. To win it all, the talent must be present. To win it all, players must stay healthy. To win it all, units must mesh.
Center Ryan Kelly, a cornerstone of the offensive line, understands the constancy of change after five years in the league but loves where the Colts are.
“The 2020 team will never be the same team again,” Kelly said, while noting “I think the foundation of what we have now is incredible.”
With the right mix of guys, with the right quarterback, it is possible the Colts could start next season believing things will be just super.