Who would you consider the Indianapolis Colts’ X-factor for the 2025 NFL season? PFF made their selection.

Who would you consider the Indianapolis Colts’ X-factor for the 2025 NFL season?

Pro Football Focus recently answered this question for all 32 teams, and when it came to the Colts, quarterback Anthony Richardson was the pick.

“It’s truly now or never for Richardson in Indianapolis,” wrote PFF. “He has a strong offensive line in front of him, a good running back in Jonathan Taylor and one of the better receiving corps in football. If he can’t become more accurate in Year 3, he could quickly be replaced by highly paid free-agent signing Daniel Jones.”

Overall, this is a well put-together Colts roster where there is a lot to like, especially after the offseason additions that were made. However, when it comes to how good this team can be, that remains the big unknown because of the uncertainty at quarterback.

Ultimately, whether it’s Richardson or Daniel Jones under center, their play will determine the ceiling for Indianapolis.

Those two will be competing this summer for the starting job, with both players splitting the starting reps. As Shane Steichen has said, it’ll be consistency that determines who the winner is.

The hope is that the competition will help raise the level of play of both players, and therefore the play of the entire position group, and then the team. After being benched last season, Richardson responded well upon his return to the starting lineup, which included leading two game-winning fourth-quarter drives.

The best-case scenario for the Colts would be that Richardson seizes control of this job as the player with the much higher upside.

One of the points of emphasis this offseason for Richardson has been on his fundamentals, specifically his footwork, which for the quarterback position, is often where accuracy starts.

“That was really one of the main things I wanted to focus on,” said Richardson of his footwork, “because everybody knows I can throw the ball whenever [the pocket] is smooth, but I want to find opportunities for myself to be consistent when I am off-balance, make decent throws, and even when everything is perfect, making sure my feet are intact and my base is solid.”