Indianapolis Colts lose primetime slot after disastrous loss

The Indianapolis Colts (4-5) lost to the Minnesota Vikings (6-2) in prime time on Sunday night by a score of 21-13. After Indy head coach Shane Steichen made the controversial quarterback change and benched Anthony Richardson to learn from veteran Joe Flacco, the offense fell apart last night at US Bank Stadium. Due to such an atrocious performance, in which the Flacco-led offense totaled 227 yards and 6 points, the NFL has decided to postpone the Colts vs. New York Jets Sunday Night Football game to 1 p.m. instead. Now the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers will fill that void.

What happens next for the Colts? Don't miss any more news and analysis! Take a second and Sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

Steichen is already drawing a lot of criticism for launching Flacco and proclaiming that he gave the Colts the best chance to win. Flacco appeared dazed and stiff in the pocket against Minnesota's extremely aggressive Brian Flores defense. Flacco was sacked three times and was disappointing as a passer with 16/27 completions for 179 yards, 0 points and one interception. In short, Flacco resembled Indy's 2022 version of Matt Ryan on Sunday night, which is haunting.

Additionally, due to Flacco's lack of mobility as a QB, running back Jonathan Taylor had one of his worst performances in 2024, recording just 48 rushing yards on 13 carries. If Indianapolis wants to be competitive and push for a postseason berth, they need to figure it out now or risk finishing with a losing record, let alone a wild card berth. The longer it takes for Flacco to win as the Colts' starter, the more pressure there will be on Steichen to get Richardson back into the starting lineup. Even though the second-year head coach has stated that he will work with Flacco for the remainder of the season, the human mind can only tolerate so much embarrassment. We'll see what happens if Indy's schedule doesn't get any easier with the red-hot Buffalo Bills coming to Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 10.

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle To Facebook And Xand subscribe YouTube for multiple Colts live stream podcasts per week.