Insider: 11 things to watch in, and instead of, Colts-Texans

INDIANAPOLIS — A disastrous Colts season has lastly reached its merciful finish.

And the work of rebuilding this franchise is about to start in earnest.

Earlier than that occurs, Indianapolis has one sport left to play, a light-weight matchup of a season finale in opposition to the woeful Houston Texans at 1 p.m. Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Outdoors of particular person milestones, there’s not quite a lot of intrigue within the matchup between the Colts (4-12-1) and the Texans (2-13-1), and with that in thoughts, that is each a have a look at what to look at in Sunday’s sport … and what to look at as an alternative of the sport.

Who’s beginning at quarterback for the Colts?

1. Sam Ehlinger, the Colts’ beginning quarterback on Sunday, is the passer most probably to nonetheless be part of the Indianapolis roster subsequent season, and this sport in opposition to the Texans represents one final probability to try the second-year quarterback as a starter. Ehlinger, who has accomplished 62.1% of his passes for 364 yards, one landing, one interception and 5.5 yards per try whereas taking 12 sacks, continues to be studying to get his throws out on time, however he performed nicely sufficient in opposition to Washington to assume the Colts may need an NFL quarterback on their palms, even when he is a backup. Ehlinger’s lengthy been recognized for his intangibles; that is one other probability to show he can play.

2. Then once more, the season finale between the Vikings and Bears might have a huge impact on the Colts’ future, and anyone whose ideas have already turned to the draft would possibly wish to preserve one eye on an NFC North matchup that’s not going to have quite a lot of sizzle across the NFL. The Colts at the moment maintain the No. 5 decide within the draft, the Texans are in place for No. 1 and the Bears No. 2. If the Bears (3-13) lose Sunday’s sport to Minnesota — Chicago is beginning backup Nathan Peterman as an alternative of Justin Fields — a Texans win over the Colts would push the Bears into the No. 1 spot, and that will give Indianapolis a puncher’s probability to maneuver up to verify it will get the longer term quarterback of their desires. Chicago already has Fields; if the Bears get the No. 1 decide, there’s probability that decide could be up on the market.

Colts draft decide:The place will the Colts decide within the 2023 NFL Draft?

The place will the Colts decide within the 2023 NFL Draft

3. The opposite two groups within the draft’s high 5 — Seattle, holding Denver’s decide, is at No. 3, and Arizona’s at the moment No. 4 — play within the 4:25 slot, so Colts followers who wish to squeeze each spot doable out of the draft may be tempted to cease right into a sports activities bar for the late afternoon video games and cheer for an increase up the draft board, at the very least if the Colts lose the sport. The staff that was initially within the No. 6 slot, the Los Angeles Rams, additionally performs at 4:25, and their spot will go to the Detroit Lions by the use of the commerce for Matthew Stafford.

4. Among the best issues about this admittedly dismal Colts season has been the breakthrough for Zaire Franklin, an unimaginable staff chief who lastly received his probability to play in one of many high two linebacker roles this season and ran with it. Franklin now has an opportunity to interrupt Shaquille Leonard’s franchise document of 163 tackles in a season, set throughout Leonard’s rookie season in 2018. Franklin, a seventh-round decide in the identical draft class that landed Leonard, sits at 159, that means he wants simply 5 tackles on Sunday to make the document his personal, and in a season with few Colts positives, Franklin deserves to be celebrated if he does the anticipated and breaks the document.

What ought to I watch as an alternative of the Colts?

5. Feeling like one other sport may be so as? No must remind anyone that Indiana performs Northwestern at midday Sunday, however that sport’s not going to be sufficient to get by your complete 1 p.m. window of NFL video games. If that’s the shot, seems to be like UCF-SMU at 2 p.m. and Cincinnati taking over No. 2 Houston at 3 p.m. wouldn’t be unhealthy chasers. Then there’s sufficient time for a fast nap earlier than the Purdue-Penn State sport at 6 p.m.

6. Huge receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is just 4 catches away from changing into the primary Colt to succeed in the 100-catch mark since his place coach, Reggie Wayne, pulled in 106 balls in 2012. Wayne added a bit of bit extra to the problem earlier this week by saying that he believes 1,000 yards is a greater marker, and regardless that that’s a bit of bit additional away, Pittman Jr. might attain the barrier for the second consecutive season if he picks up 105 yards in opposition to Houston.

7. “Glass Onion,” Rian Johnson’s second entry within the Benoit Blanc collection of homicide mysteries, is on Netflix, and it’s pure leisure, from Daniel Craig’s hilarious impression of a Southern accent to Janelle Monae’s tour de pressure efficiency to Kate Hudson reveling within the position of chewing by surroundings each time she’s on display.

8. One other piece of excellent information for the Colts is that the staff’s high two draft picks, large receiver Alec Pierce and tight finish Jelani Woods, have proven they’ve the potential to be game-breaking weapons sooner or later. Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Texans is their final probability this season to get Indianapolis excited concerning the passing assault of the longer term. Pierce and Woods have been up and down this season, however once they’ve been up, it’s typically been thrilling.

9. Amazon launched the third season of “Jack Ryan” proper earlier than Christmas, and if there hasn’t been sufficient time to binge it but, there’s a three-hour window on Sunday that may hit the spot. Not as comedic as “Glass Onion,” nevertheless it’ll get the center pounding a bit, and it’s not going to stint on the motion.

10. Undrafted free agent Dallis Flowers has been an electrical kick returner, averaging 33.0 yards per return on 19 possibilities after taking the job over from Isaiah Rodgers. Perhaps that is the sport Flowers lastly breaks free, and irrespective of how this Colts season has gone, there’s nothing like watching a kick return for a landing.

11. As unhealthy because it’s been this season, there are many Colts who deserve credit score for the best way they’ve performed. Parris Campbell lastly received an opportunity to indicate what he can do, and regardless of the passing sport’s ineffectiveness, Campbell (57 catches, 581 yards) has a shot at a 60-catch season. DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart have been monsters in the midst of the protection. Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo have proven sufficient to assume they are often key items of the defensive position rotation going ahead. Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, if he’s in a position to play by a wrist damage, might beat the percentages and the critics by enjoying in all 17 video games, on nearly each snap — he’s performed 99% of the defensive snaps thus far — and enjoying at a Professional Bowl stage. Rookie free security Rodney Thomas II got here out of nowhere as a seventh-round pick of Yale and established himself as a beginning free security within the NFL. Kicker Chase McLaughlin is 29 of 35 general and eight of 11 on kicks of fifty yards or extra, the perfect mark from that distance of any Colts kicker in historical past. Linebacker Bobby Okereke and powerful security Rodney McLeod have been rocks for the protection this season, and they may not be again in 2023. This Colts season has been a catastrophe; that doesn’t imply there haven’t been any performances value appreciating.