Break up the Indianapolis Colts. No, seriously.
Indy “improved” to 2-2 following an uninspiring 30-13 victory over the Washington Commanders
on Sunday, Oct. 4, in London. But the NFL’s first European export of the season was arguably a worse hardship on the United Kingdom than American-imposed tariffs. And while Colts fans might be encouraged to be level at .500 following an 0-2 start, they’d be unwise to think there’s much good luck in these Horseshoes.As for Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who said, “I'm pissed, we're all pissed,” after last season’s collapse? While she might have to ride this not-so-thoroughbred for a few more weeks, she should also start preparing to tell longtime GM Chris Ballard to put it down at some point – perhaps as his last act
of service to the organization.
A week after defeating the winless Houston Texans, who were without their best offensive player (Nico Collins), on a 53-yard field goal in the final seconds, the Colts were fortunate to survive a Commanders squad thatlost backup quarterback Marcus Mariota to a knee injury on its second drive.
Seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis was pressed into service for his first-regular season appearance. Still, the Colts struggled to bury a team that was already without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, top receiver Terry McLaurin, left tackle Laremy Tunsil and running back Rachaad White. The Commanders also haven’t played much defense this season, surrendering the second-most points per game league-wide entering Week 4. And Amik Robertson’s unnecessary roughness penalty on third-and-14 late in the second quarter paved the way for the first of Colts running back Jonathan Taylor’s two touchdowns.
After falling into a 6-0 first-quarter hole and clinging to a 17-13 third-quarter lead after Kaliakmanis and Treylon Burks hooked up on a 47-yard TD strike, beating two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in the process, Indianapolis finally pulled away over the final quarter and a half. But these Colts hardly look primed for a Run for the Roses.
“It is a game they need, and it hasn’t really been clean,” Hall of Fame quarterback and NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner said while doing color on the broadcast.
Kind of a microcosm of the season?
Quarterback Daniel Jones, who’s never had a reputation for taking care of the ball over the course of his eight-year NFL career, already has seven turnovers this season after adding an interception and fumble on Sunday – both seemingly amid regrettable decisions. He also struggled to merely completing basic passes at times, finishing the game with 19 completions on 34 attempts for 143 yards.
“It was a tough day back there,” NFL Network analyst and former head coach Steve Mariucci said of the quarterback.
Jones, who worked hard to return from an Achilles tear suffered late last season, had a decent 2025 campaign before the injury but mostly returned on a two-year, $88 million deal because it was a marriage of convenience given neither he nor the franchise had much better options – even after Indy finished last season on a seven-game losing streak following an 8-2 start, missing the postseason. Again.
Ballard, whether spurred by a seeming opportunity to shove his chips in last year amid the hot start or a sense of pressure given his team has one playoff victory in his 10-year tenure and hasn’t even qualified since 2020, acquired Gardner from the New York Jets at least year’s trade deadline. It's hard to imagine that deal aging well in retrospect given the negligible impact Gardner has made – he played poorly Sunday – plus the fact that Ballard, historically a draft-develop-and-re-sign GM, surrendered first-round picks in the 2026 and 2027 drafts, next year’s expected to be a bumper crop that might have greatly benefited the Colts. Instead, they went into Week 4 having surrendered the third-most points in the league while ranking last overall defensively.
Aside from Jones, Ballard’s other major offseason expenditure was re-signing wideout Alec Pierce to a four-year, $114 million deal … even though Pierce never caught as many as 50 passes in any of his first four seasons. Ballard also had to trade reliable wideout Michael Pittman Jr. in order to accommodate the megadeal for Pierce, who has five receptions this season and has missed most of three games while battling what’s become a problematic heel injury, which he had surgery on in March.
And if you’re under the impression the Colts might be building something here – despite the lack of a Round 1 pick in next year’s draft – think again. Mainstays Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, who are both north of 30, are playing on expiring contracts. So is No. 2 wide receiver Josh Downs.
So where does this team go next? Hope isn’t a plan, but it’s all the Colts, who are in the midst of four road games in a five-week stretch, have at this point. They’ll come home to face the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 8, two days before this year’s trade deadline – by which point Ballard might be compelled to trade Buckner or Nelson. Or maybe even Taylor, whose recently signed two-year, $44 million extension is eminently moveable given his sizable future base salaries – and might provide the best avenue for this team to embark on a legitimate rebuild.
Barring a charge this team doesn’t seem to have in it, that could wind up being its best play in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dismantling Colts makes more sense than pretending they'll contend | Opinion
