INDIANAPOLIS – Despite a noticeable bruise, they’re still holding the top seed in the AFC and are perched atop the AFC South.
The Indianapolis Colts are in no worse position Monday than they were before gifting the Steelers a 27-20 win Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh. You remember the six turnovers, which matched an Indy-era record and led to 24 points, and shoddy pass protection, right?
They’re 7-2, tied with New England and Denver for the NFL’s best record. They’re ahead of Jacksonville (5-3) and Houston (3-5) in the AFC South.
But they certainly need to be better than they were against the Steelers and, in a few spots, better than they’ve been over the first two months of the season.
It’s fair to wonder if there’s change on the horizon for a team in position to earn its first playoff berth since 2020 and first division title since 2014.
The NFL’s trading deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday and general manager Chris Ballard has been working the phones. Is an edge rusher available and affordable? How about a cornerback or linebacker?
“We’re working through that,’’ coach Shane Steichen said Monday. “Chris and his staff are doing their due diligence on that stuff and we’ll see how it plays out.’’
The Philadelphia Eagles were quick to peruse the market. Monday, they acquired defensive end Jaelan Phillips from the 2-7 Miami Dolphins. The cost: a 2026 third-round pick.
Other possible trade candidates who’ve been mentioned leading up to the Tuesday deadline: cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, linebacker Logan Wilson and edge Trey Hendrickson of the reeling and 3-6 Cincinnati Bengals; Seattle corner Riq Woolen and edge Bradley Chubb and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Dolphins.
It’s impossible not to connect the dots to a possible trade with the Bengals, considering defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo held the same position in Cincy the past six seasons.
“I stopped doing hopes and that stuff a long time ago,’’ Henrickson told the Cincinnati media. “You are where your feet are.’’
The Athletic is reporting the Bengals are asking for first-round compensation for Hendrickson, who’s dealing with a hip but has piled up 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons.
Whether Ballard finds what he wants/needs will be determined in short order.
Regardless what happens prior to Tuesday’s deadline, the Colts must bounce back from their worst game of the season. Initially, that means resetting for Sunday’s meeting with the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin.
“I told those guys in there the mistakes that we made, we’ve got to get ‘em cleaned up,’’ Steichen said. “But that doesn’t define who we are as a football team.
“What defines us is how we respond to the situation.’’
After mistakes contributed to the 27-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in week 4, the Colts responded by overwhelming the Las Vegas Raiders 40-6. They didn’t score in the first or fourth quarters.
A prevailing theme in the locker room after the error-filled loss to the Steelers was learning from the loss, regrouping and moving on.
“Adversity is good,’’ Michael Pittman Jr. told reporters after the game, “but we’ve got to go win the next one.’’
Added Quenton Nelson: “Losing makes you better in the long run as long as you learn from it and that’s what we’re going to do.’’
Monday afternoon, Alec Pierce disagreed with the notion a team can learn more from a loss than a win.
“But it definitely grounds you,’’ he said. “Definitely kind of gets you back to . . . humbles you. Not saying we were flying high or anything, but I think it really kind of puts things into perspective.’’
In the days leading up to the Steelers game, there was talk of Jonathan Taylor being one of the frontrunners for MVP, the historic pace being set by Daniel Jones and the offense and the 7-1 Colts being one of the NFL’s surprise teams.
Pittsburgh interrupted that dialogue.
“You go out there every single week, teams are going to give you their best,’’ Pierce said. “Every team, they’re all NFL teams, they’re all filled with phenomenal football players, talented players.
“So, you just got to prepare every single week to go out there and prepare for a four-quarter battle, knowing you’re playing a bunch of good players and it’s going to be a tough battle.”
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.