Tuesday After Awards: Colts at Texans

What's worse than seeing the Colts throw away a sure win? This conversation I had about the game the next morning:

Friend: "Hey, I saw your Colts got it done for you last night!"

Me: "Yeah...they lost."

Friend: "They were up by two touchdowns late in the game though."

Me: "Yup."

The last thing I wanted to do was relive that game at 6 am the next morning, and yet there I was.

But really, the game was bad. I think that sentence sums it up, but I'll hand out some awards anyway.

MVP - Frank Gore

If you had to pick someone, you would pick Gore. The running back finally broke the 100 yard mark in what was another solid performance this season. Really, Gore has been quietly running well; assuming he stays healthy, Gore should easily go for over 1,000 yards this year. While it would have been nice to see Gore get some more touches (say on a certain 4th and short play), we can't complain about what he is doing on the field. In a game that had a lot of bright spots overshadowed by the ending, Gore gets the nod for the MVP.

75 Cents Award - Colts

The name of this award is my way of trying to be clever. They, for whatever reason, only seem to have three quarters in them. Typically, it's the first quarter that the Colts have decided to take off. This week, it was the fourth quarter. I would argue that it comes down to coaching (more on that later), but whatever the reason, the Colts simply must find a way to finish games.

Rare Sighting Award - Interception

The Colts recorded an interception this week!! Bringing the season total to...two. Yes, that's right. Darius Bulter's pick against Denver, and Vontae Davis' on Sunday night are the only interceptions recorded by the Colts this season. In case you were wondering, five players have more interceptions than the Colts, and 22 players are tied with the Colts in interceptions. Although, to be fair, the Colts are one of four teams to have only recorded three interceptions. The others being the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, and the New York Jets.

So while it was nice to see, the Colts are in the running toward the fewest interceptions in the league. So let's appreciate these rare sightings when we see them.

Silver Lining Award - National Attention

I, for one, find this as a positive of this season. All year we had to listen to the national media talk about how Andrew Luck was regressing, is he elite, etc. Now, the national focus has shifted to what Colts fans already knew. The roster is poorly constructed and is poorly coached. The TV broadcasters are beginning to call out the Colts front office and coaching, Reggie Wayne called out the front office, and various articles from the NFL and ESPN have begun taking note of poor coaching, not only from this year, but from the last four years.

LVP - The Season

While the Colts were not the trendy pick this year, I think most Colts fans (including myself) figured this to be a playoff team, or at least one that could win the worst division in football. Now, though, the Colts sit in last place in the AFC South, and at 0-2 in division play. Baring a massive change of fortune for the Colts (and the Texans) the division is all but lost at this point. And there's no way the Colts get a wild card spot.

And I'm not saying the Colts can't make a run reminiscent of the 2010 season when, after a 3-4 start, Peyton Manning carried the team to 9 straight wins and a division title. But I don't think Manning could carry this team. Couple that with looking at the next five game for the Colts: @ Tennessee, Kansas City, @ Green Bay, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh. How many wins do you honestly see in there? Maybe a home win against the Titans?