Will Joe Flacco take the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs? The team hasn\u2019t made the postseason since the 2020 campaign. That was back when Philip Rivers was the quarterback.<\/p>\n
Flacco is now the Colts\u2019 starting signal-caller, replacing the young Anthony Richardson. Unless you\u2019ve been living under a rock, you know that Richardson was benched<\/a> recently.<\/p>\n Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has had a disastrous start to his career. The former Florida Gator missed all but four games due to injury last year. He has missed two games this season after injuring his hip<\/a> in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Currently, Richardson is the league\u2019s 32nd-ranked passer with a mark of 57.2. He has completed just 44.4% of his passes. Richardson has also recorded four touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season. Plus, his \u201ctap out of the game because he was tired\u201d<\/a> incident surely played a role in his being benched.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether Joe Flacco will be the starter for the remainder of the season. If he is, he might do his best Philip Rivers impersonation and get Indy back to the playoffs.<\/p>\n Andrew Luck retired out of the blue right before the 2019 regular season. The Colts would struggle that year, finishing with a 7-9 record and missing the playoffs. Jacoby Brissett served as the starting quarterback.<\/p>\n During the following offseason, though, Indianapolis signed Rivers<\/a> as a free agent. Seeing Rivers in a Colts uniform was weird after spending his first 16 years with the San Diego\/Los Angeles Chargers. It was also interesting, knowing that his Chargers teams were a thorn in the Colts\u2019 side for several years during the Peyton Manning era.<\/p>\n Rivers would play great in his lone season in Indy. The eight-time Pro-Bowler threw for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.<\/sup> The Colts finished with an 11-5 record but lost to the Buffalo Bills<\/a> in the Wild Card Round. Rivers threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-24 loss. He retired following the season.<\/p>\n Flacco\u2019s Colts\u2019 story can be sort of similar to Rivers\u2019. He\u2019s 39 years old, while Rivers was 38 during his stint with the team. Flacco obviously can\u2019t go 11-5 like Rivers did. Yet, he can still be that old veteran leader who powers the Colts to a postseason berth.<\/p>\n Flacco possesses a ton of experience. He knows how to win. He has won a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP. Plus, he took home Comeback Player of the Year honors last season after leading the Cleveland Browns<\/a> to the playoffs.<\/p>\n The Colts currently own a 4-4 record. They\u2019re likely not giving to catch up with the 6-3 Houston Texans<\/a> and win the AFC South. That means to make the playoffs, they\u2019ll have to land a wildcard spot. Right now, the Colts are .5 a game out of a playoff spot.<\/p>\n Indianapolis has a tough schedule coming up. In their next four games, they\u2019ll face the Minnesota Vikings<\/a>, Bills, New York Jets, and Detroit Lions. Yes, that\u2019s a ferocious schedule.<\/p>\nJoe Flacco Could Pull a Philip Rivers and Lead the Colts to the Playoffs<\/h2>\n
Philip Rivers was the Man in 2020<\/h3>\n
Can the Colts Realistically Reach the Postseason?<\/h3>\n