Did the Colts loss to the Rams fill you with disappointment in the result or hope for the future?

The Colts lost the game, but did they come away with something more in the bigger picture?

It was a tale of two halves for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. The defense was getting torched while they were shooting themselves in the foot with unnecessary roughness penalties to extend drives which allowed the Rams to cash in on touchdowns on their first two drives of the game. Meanwhile, the offense sputtered and stalled through the game’s first two quarters, unable to score a single point and barely cracking 100 yards of total offense.

Both units woke up in the second half as the defense held the Rams to 3 points in regulation, and the offense scored 23 unanswered behind huge plays from Anthony Richardson. A touchdown and two-point conversion late in the third got the Colts on the board and injected much needed life into the fans. That was followed by a huge catch on second and twenty by Alec Pierce for 38 yards to set up the team’s second score. A monster fourth down pass to Kylen Granson kept the game alive as Richardson capped the drive off with a touchdown and two point conversion.

Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Colts couldn’t move the the ball an inch at the end of regulation and never saw the ball in overtime as the Rams moved down the field to score the winning touchdown. Yes, the Colts lost the game, but does how they lost create disappointment or encouragement for things to come?

Anytime your team falls short after a crazy comeback, there is a natural letdown. It is harder to take than if the Colts had proceeded to simply be blown out. The way the game ended was not what fans wanted to see.

With that said, you have to be encouraged by what you saw. The Colts are one of the youngest teams in the league, so they could be forgiven for failing to rise to the challenge. Sometimes teams simply get smacked in a game or two throughout the year. This didn’t end up being that game, however. Richardson responded in a big way and made a lot of impressive plays. His poise and resilience shined as he nearly led the team to a victory.

Yes, Richardson didn’t look great for a portion of the game, but then he showed why he was drafted fourth overall. He is going to have negative plays, quarters, halves, and games this year. It is part of the developmental process for a rookie. He is also going to bring fans to their feet, give them something to cheer for, and provide hope for the future. Sunday wasn’t the desired result. The good news is the result wasn’t the whole story. If we get more of the Richardson we saw in the second half then the future is bright, and the sky is the limit.