I almost used this headline last week.
This week, I mean it in a completely different way.
There were a multitude of stories out there denigrating the Colts’ 19-9 victory over the Chiefs. It showed the Colts weren’t dominant. Some said Manning looked hurt. The Colts were sluggish. Most of the praise went to the Chiefs for managing to lose a game by 10 points.
Yeah, I think we need to adjust our expectations. There’s nothing wrong with the Colts’ win.
There might be something wrong with us.
Indy beat an undefeated team by double digits at home. They even covered the spread (for those who care about such things or use it as a benchmark). The Colts had five scoring drives on the game and moved the ball with ease throughout the game.
On the opening drive, Joe Addai was tackled just inches short of the goal line. The Colts eventually settled for the field goal. I contend that had he pounded the ball in on that first play, everyone would have viewed this game in an entirely different light. Indy never trailed in the game, and much of the media angst seems to center on the fact that the Colts only put up 19 points.
First of all, the offense is not a trouble spot for this team, so no one should worry about a slightly down week in which the Colts moved the ball well, but suffered a few mistakes in the red zone. Secondly, there were many comments that Indy was out of rhythm or sync. Frankly, it’s would have been amazing if they were in sync. Last week alone, Wayne, Collie, Addai, and Brown missed practice time or were injured. Garcon was just coming back after a several week layoff. Any rhythm or sync issues are as easily attributable to the physical state of the Colts as anything else.
The standards for Peyton Manning himself have become impossibly high. Writers asked if he was hurt. Readers wondered if he was sick. My question is why?
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