CBS Sports gives Colts ‘B grade’ at midseason mark

The Colts have earned a good mid-term grade given the circumstances, but there’s still some studying to do.

According to CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr, the Indianapolis Colts have earned a ‘B grade,’ sitting at 4-5 and having already lost starting rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson for the year:

Indianapolis Colts

Record: 4-5

Grade: B

Shane Steichen’s impact has already been felt in his first year in Indianapolis, even if franchise quarterback Anthony Richardson is lost for the season. The Colts are the only team to score 20-plus points in every game this year, and they’re seventh in the league in points per game. They got the Jonathan Taylor situation figured out and the running game is clicking with he and Zack Moss.

Gus Bradley’s defense hasn’t been great (25th in points per possession allowed), yet the Colts are taking care of the teams they match up well with on the schedule. They also have a win over the Ravens on the road, the signature win of the year.

This season could have been a disaster when Richardson went down. It hasn’t.

Despite having a losing record, the Colts were two egregious late blown defensive calls against the Cleveland Browns from a winning one. They’ve scored at least 20 points in each of their 9 games, even with backup Gardner Minshew making 5 starts so far on the season (and missing star running back Jonathan Taylor for four games).

The defense has been up-and-down, but as last week showed, when Kenny Moore II had two pick sixes in a Colts’ victory, it has a few really good players who can make splash plays.

The Colts had a signature overtime road win against the Baltimore Ravens during Week 3, and while rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are considered the up-and-coming darling of the division, let’s not forget Indy already bested them on the road in Week 2.

For the Colts, one has to be pretty pleased with this mid-term grade, while also acknowledging that the team still has considerable work to do and hasn’t consistently played its best football yet.

There’s still a chance that the Colts could crash the AFC wild card race with a strong second half showing—being aided by a soft remaining schedule.