A 9-8 finish to the 2023 season has the Indianapolis Colts believing again. For the first time in several seasons, their organization has found a much-needed sense of direction.
It starts with rookie head coach Shane Steichen, who, despite dealing with a number of injuries to key players, like rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor, managed to help Indianapolis finish 11th in total scoring offense and find new and creative ways to tailor his style of play calling by incorporating as many players as possible.
Injuries caused both Taylor and Richardson to miss time this season, with Richardson missing one game due to a concussion he sustained in Week 2 against the Houston Texans and suffering a season-ending AC joint injury in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans and Taylor battling an ankle injury that caused him to miss the first four games of the season along with a thumb injury that kept him out for two more games for a total of six.