And then there were four.

The Seattle Seahawks are set to host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, and the Denver Broncos will host the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. For the Indianapolis Colts, competing in a conference title game is a distant memory, let alone competing in the playoffs. The Colts have not reached an AFC Championship Game since the 2014 season, and their five-year playoff drought is tied for the third-longest active streak in the NFL.

Several of you voiced your frustration about the state of the Colts’ once-proud franchise by sending me hard-nosed questions for my offseason mailbag. I answered some of those questions last week, but I wasn’t able to get through all of them. So, now I’m back for part two. Let’s dive into what’s on your mind as my offseason mailbag continues.

(Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.)

I know there was a lot of frustration with this Colts team, but how many teams are able to keep their heads above water when the first two quarterbacks on the depth chart are taken off the field? — Kenneth R.

This question reminds me of one of the funniest and most honest rebuttals I’ve ever heard regarding quarterback injuries. Years ago, as the story goes, Jon Gruden was in Indianapolis to call a “Monday Night Football” game and asked Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore why Peyton Manning took every rep in practice, leaving none for the backups.

“Fellas, if 18 (Manning) goes down, we’re f—ed,” Moore responded. “And we don’t practice f—ed.”

This is not to say Daniel Jones is Manning, but during the Colts’ 8-2 start, he steered an offense that averaged 3.17 points per drive, which was the highest mark for any Colts team through its first 10 games this century.

So, when Jones, as the centerpiece of that offense, which began to backslide after its hot start, went down in Week 14, the Colts were, to quote Moore, “f—ed.” And when they couldn’t turn to backup Anthony Richardson Sr., who suffered an orbital fracture in a pregame warmup accident in Week 6 and was already on injured reserve, they were really “f—ed.”

Richardson, for all of his warts, is 8-7 as an NFL starter, and I believe he could’ve helped Indianapolis pick up at least one more victory if he were fully healthy. But he wasn’t available, and the reality is that most NFL teams have no shot to win if they lose their top two QBs. We can debate whether the Colts should’ve handed the keys to rookie sixth-round pick Riley Leonard instead of coaxing 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of a nearly five-year retirement. However, I think it’s unfair to compare the Colts’ injury situation to a team like the injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers. It’s not apples to apples. The latter’s resiliency is commendable, but coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t asked to win games with his third-string QB, Adrian Martinez, who, like Leonard, hadn’t started a game in the NFL before this season.

What do you think happened to the Colts’ run game and specifically Jonathan Taylor after the Falcons game? I know Jones’ injury was impactful to the running game, but a great running back and offensive line should be able to perform regardless. — Dennis C.

GM Chris Ballard would agree. In his end-of-season news conference, he addressed the stark contrast between Taylor’s dominance during the Colts’ 8-2 start, capped by Taylor’s 244 rushing yards and three TD in an overtime win against the Falcons in Week 10, and his disappearance in the second half of the season.

“Offensively, we’ve got to be able to run it when we want to run it,” Ballard said. “I will say that kind of when Daniel got hurt, it took away some things we could do from a mobility standpoint, which I think affected it, but that’s something we will dig into.”

GREATEST INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN NFL HISTORY?

32 CARRIES
224 YARDS
3 TDs including the OT game-winner

JONATHAN. TAYLOR. pic.twitter.com/4BLLIXbX6I

— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025

Taylor averaged a staggering 6.0 yards per carry through his first 10 games, racking up 1,139 yards and 17 TDs. However, Taylor’s production took a sharp dip after Jones popped up on the injury report in Week 12 with a fractured left fibula that he tried to play through. The QB’s mobility was severely compromised, and he eventually tore his right Achilles tendon in Week 14. In my opinion, Jones’ injuries were the biggest reason Taylor tapered off because the Colts were unable to use any QB misdirection plays like zone reads and RPOs to keep the defense guessing. As a result, Taylor averaged just 3.3 yards per carry and totaled only 446 yards and three TDs over the last seven games of the season.

It would be naive, though, to pretend that Jones’ injuries and absence are the only explanations for why a Pro Bowl running back suddenly looked so average. Another factor was likely the stout defenses Taylor faced. Six of the Colts’ last seven games were against teams (Seattle, Houston, Kansas City and Jacksonville) that ranked in the top eight for fewest rushing yards allowed per game. It’s also worth noting that the Colts’ offensive line got a little banged up toward the end of the season, most notably with right tackle Braden Smith missing the last four games because of a concussion and neck injury. He was replaced in the lineup by promising rookie fourth-round pick Jalen Travis. Indianapolis relied on more of its youth in 2025 as well, with second-year center Tanor Bortolini and second-year right guard Matt Goncalves serving as full-time starters from the beginning of the season, and while it’s fair to say that Travis, Bortolini and Goncalves held their own, there was some understandable slippage as the season wore on.

The real issue I have is that, assuming Jones is retained in free agency, he likely won’t be as mobile in 2026 as he was in 2025 as he continues rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon. And if that’s the case, how will the Colts regain their magic with Taylor? Coach Shane Steichen better get creative because a big part of Indy’s playoff hopes likely rests on how balanced its offense can be in the future.

Do you expect any vets, like left guard Quenton Nelson, running back Jonathan Taylor and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, to ask for trades? I’m not sure why they would want to keep playing for this dysfunctional franchise and just waste prime years not making the playoffs. — Taylor A.

No, I don’t see any of the Colts’ veterans demanding trades, though I wouldn’t blame them if they did. Nelson is a six-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler through his first eight years. The Hall of Fame awaits. Taylor is the Colts’ all-time leader in rushing touchdowns, and his 90.5 rushing yards per game are the most among any active player. He may have a Hall of Fame case someday as well. Both players deserve to play meaningful football, but the veteran I feel the most disappointment for is Buckner. The two-time All-Pro was fresh off a Super Bowl appearance with the 49ers before being traded to the Colts in March 2020. He’s played in one playoff game since. Every year, I ask him why he’s sticking around and continues to believe in the Colts’ vision, and every year he says he trusts Ballard. He’s been loyal to a fault.

After five years of playoff-less football, perhaps a better question to ask these days is: When should the Colts start offloading their aging stars to recoup draft capital for a rebuild? That won’t happen in 2026, with Ballard and owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon convinced that Indy’s 8-2 start in 2025 wasn’t a fluke, but I can’t say I believe them given how the last half-decade has unfolded.

Do you anticipate changes to the coaching staff on offense or defense? — Karen W.

I don’t anticipate any major coaching changes unless Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo get new jobs elsewhere. Cooter interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator opening, and while that may seem like a lateral move, he’d likely have the chance to call plays, which he won’t get the opportunity to do in Indy. Steichen is the Colts’ play caller, and when digging around behind the scenes, I’m convinced he’ll never relinquish that responsibility. Cooter and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni overlapped for one year in 2021, when Cooter served as an independent consultant for the team.

Anarumo, on the other hand, will interview for the Bills’ head coach vacancy. He’s been a defensive coordinator for seven-plus seasons (including his interim tag with the Dolphins in 2015).

“Certainly, I’d lie to you if I said if down the road that wasn’t something that would be a career goal,” Anarumo said in November.

The Colts will have to make at least one coaching change, though, in 2026. Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge left his position after a two-year stint to return to the college ranks and serve as the D-line coach at Notre Dame. Whoever replaces him will be under a microscope as the Colts look to jump-start their underwhelming pass rush. Indianapolis’ 75 sacks during Partridge’s tenure were tied for the eighth-fewest combined in the NFL from 2024 to 2025.

Do you see the Colts being up for sale in the next five to 10 years? With the sale of Jim Irsay’s estate and now the upcoming auction of his collection, it looks like they need the money. — Ken K.

No, I don’t foresee Irsay-Gordon and her sisters and co-owners, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, selling the team. I just think they no longer wanted to pay for their father’s lavish lifestyle and hobbies now that he’s no longer here, which is understandable. However, the thought of the Colts being owned by anyone other than the Irsay family is a nonstarter. The Colts aren’t just a money maker for the Irsays. It’s their legacy, which will continue to be passed down.

“We didn’t start a hedge fund or some other business, and do this, especially the generation we’re in,” Irsay-Gordon said last June. “This is our business, and we take it very seriously.”