A worse year than his first has not shaken Shane Steichen's confidence.
As Indianapolis heads into the final weekend of the regular season without a chance to finish above .500 or reach the playoffs, pessimism is sure to abound -- just not in the Colts head coach's office.
"I think we're really close," Steichen said Friday, . "I do. When you have a season like this, you know, it's frustrating, but we've got a lot of good guys in the locker room, I've said that before, and I know those guys will go out and fight like crazy to finish."
Whatever takes place when Indy takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday will not change the fact that Steichen and Co. weren't close enough this season, though.
The follow-up to Steichen's promising first season with the Colts has instead taken some steam out of whatever momentum seemed to be starting under him.
During the 2023 season, Indianapolis overcame a season-ending injury to rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson to go 9-8 and come within a game of winning the AFC South, falling short only in the final moments of its final game of the campaign. The offense ranked 10th in points scored, which helped overcome a lackluster defensive unit.
Richardson returned for his sophomore effort as a potential breakout candidate. But while he had a healthier year, he still struggled to avoid the injury bug, and he also struggled as a performer on the field.
The 22-year-old dual threat was benched in Week 9 for Joe Flacco, although Steichen reneged on that decision just two games later to reinstall the 2023 No. 4 overall pick in the starting lineup.
While he played slightly better afterward, his numbers leave much to be desired -- especially considering he's the team's presumptive starter going into next season. Richardson, set to miss Sunday's finale due to a back injury, threw for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a ghastly 47.7 completion percentage. He was dangerous as ever with his legs while amassing 499 rushing yards and six TDs.
Indianapolis' offense flagged alongside Richardson and under Steichen, considered an offensive guru, and is currently 16th in scoring in the league.
Meanwhile, the team's defense has continued its struggles, giving up an average of 25.3 points per game to rank 27th.
Those issues came to a head in Week 17's 45-33 defeat to the New York Giants, which officially knocked the Colts out of the AFC playoff picture.
"It's a frustrating season," Steichen said. "The ups and downs of it, obviously it didn't go the way we wanted to as a football team, missing the playoffs. That's the goal every year, to get in the playoffs, and obviously some frustrating losses."
The bright side is that progress, especially in a league as grueling and competitive as the NFL, is by no means linear.
Much like a step forward in 2023 did not equate to yet another in 2024, the team's misstep doesn't make another unavoidable.
Running back Jonathan Taylor has notably looked like the All-Pro of old in the last month, rushing for 546 yards in the team's past four games and scoring five times the past two weeks. Linebacker Zaire Franklin is a league-leading tackling machine, and first-round rookie pass rusher Laiatu Latu has shown he has it in a rotational role while contributing three forced fumbles and four sacks.
There are players present or emerging who can contribute to making the Colts a playoff-caliber team.
They haven't yet, but Steichen won't let recent disappointment dissuade him from believing they soon will.
