MINNEAPOLIS — The Colts made a seismic, difficult decision to bench young, developmental quarterback Anthony Richardson and start 39-year-old Joe Flacco at the game’s most important position.

Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen cited one reason above all else for the move.

The Colts coach believed Flacco gave his team the best chance to win now.

Flacco’s first game in the starting role did not necessarily provide evidence to reinforce that belief. Indianapolis took a 21-13 loss at the hands of the Vikings on NBC’S “Sunday Night Football,” largely because the offense turned in arguably its worst performance of the season.

Colts score: New quarterback, same result. Colts, Joe Flacco can’t produce in loss vs Vikings

Indianapolis picked up a season-low 227 yards, failed to score a touchdown and could not capitalize despite a defense that forced three turnovers. Kenny Moore II provided the Colts’ lone touchdown on a 38-yard scoop-and-score of a Grover Stewart strip-sack in the first half.

In light of the team’s struggles, Steichen was asked if Flacco will still be the Indianapolis starting quarterback.

“Right now, yes,” Steichen said.

The Colts head coach was also asked if he still believes Flacco gives the team the best chance to win.

“Right now, yes,” Steichen said.

Flacco struggled against Minnesota’s defense.

Indianapolis largely handled the Vikings blitz-happy scheme, refusing to allow a sack until the final, last-ditch drive. Even with time to throw, Flacco completed just 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards, and he threw a back-breaking interception in the second half on a key third down.

The Colts have also struggled with Richardson at the helm. Richardson has completed a league-worst 44.4% of his passes, thrown seven interceptions and posted a league-worst quarterback rating of 57.2, but he has a penchant for the explosive play.

The move to Flacco was supposed to stabilize the Indianapolis offense.

Instead, it ground to a halt, leading to some of the same problems that have been there all season. Indianapolis could not keep drives going, leading to Minnesota holding the ball for 36:54, a time of possession that allowed the Vikings to take advantage of a tired Colts defense in the end.

With that in mind, Steichen was asked if the shifts back and forth from Richardson to Flacco to Richardson to Flacco have hampered the offense’s ability to build an identity.

“I don’t think so,” Steichen said. “You just go, it’s like with any position. You’ve got to roll and get the next guy up. Obviously, Joe went in there tonight for us.”

Steichen did not place much blame at Flacco’s feet after the game.

In typical fashion, Steichen put most of the blame on himself.

“We’ll go back and look at it,” Steichen said. “There might have been a few completions here and there that he could have had, but again, he’s a calm guy that’s been playing at a high level for a long time. Obviously, a lot of faith in him.”

Caitlin Clark had essentially the same view as Travis Kelce during Taylor Swift’s second “Eras Tour” show in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Clark, who just won the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award after the Fever selected her No. 1 overall in this year’s draft, sat in the same box as Kelce — Swift’s boyfriend — and was one row behind the Chiefs’ star tight end, according to Fieldhouse Files.

It marked the second consecutive night Clark attended Swift’s concert, as she posted “IM FIRED UP!!!!!!!” from her seat on Friday.

Clark’s mother also attended the Saturday performance, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Photos from Lucas Oil Stadium captured Clark exchanging friendship bracelets with fans, and before the second show, she posted, “So back” on her Instagram story.

It was a fitting overlap between Swift and Clark, as basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman said in September that Clark is the “Taylor Swift of women’s basketball right now” — as the sellouts and ratings records that helped define her collegiate career with Iowa carried over into her first WNBA season.

“Her fans are like ‘Swifties,’” Lieberman said during a SiriusXM appearance. “They’re extraordinarily loyal. And in every arena you go into, half the people there are her fans wearing her jerseys. She’s a media superstar, but damn, she’s backed it up every step of the way.”

Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game to help the Fever overcome a slow start to the season and earn the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, but that didn’t stop Indiana from making a coaching change in the offseason — firing Christie Sides and hiring former Sun coach Stephanie White.

She coached the Fever in 2015 and 2016, and when White played for Indiana during her WNBA career, she wore the No. 22 that Clark wore at Iowa and also donned during a 2024 campaign where she rewrote the record books for plenty of rookie and league marks.

Kelce had a break in his Chiefs schedule to attend with Kansas City hosting the Buccaneers on Monday in Week 9, attempting to remain undefeated in their quest for a third consecutive Super Bowl win.

Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce packed on the PDA following her second Eras Tour performance in Indianapolis.

On Saturday, fans caught a video of the couple — who went public in September 2023 — holding hands while leaving the Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.

The “Bad Blood” singer, 34, and the Kansas City Chiefs star, 35, waved at screaming fans as they exited backstage.

Kelce attended the pop star’s second show in Indianapolis alongside her mom, Andrea Swift, and his pal Ross Travis.

The tight end, who gave off “Reputation” vibes in an all-black outfit with a silver necklace and black-and-white hat, was seen enjoying his girlfriend’s tunes, dancing and singing along to her hits.

At one point, Kelce was seen chatting with *NSYNC member Joey Fatone in the VIP box.

Indianapolis is only an hour-and-a-half flight from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., where Kelce’s team is set to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

It’s unclear if Taylor will be present to cheer on her beau in the stands. She wraps up the US leg of her record-breaking tour in the capital city of Indiana on Sunday before heading to Toronto for a Nov. 14 show.

The “Cruel Summer” singer last attended Kelce’s game on Oct. 7, when the Chiefs defeated the New Orleans Saints.

Taylor made a grand entrance in a Vivienne Westwood plaid corset and matching miniskirt with glitter freckles on her face.

She also wore the brand’s knee-high Grace platform boots and a heart-shaped Belle bag as she arrived at the stadium with her dad, Scott Swift.

During the game, Taylor celebrated Travis’ trick play, in which the three-time Super Bowl champ made a lateral pass to teammate Samaje Perine in the second quarter.

After the Chiefs won, Travis and Taylor were caught on video packing on the PDA in front of their respective dads, Ed Kelce and Scott, inside the “Grotesquerie” actor’s VIP suite.

At one point, the billionaire musician wrapped her arms around her beau and grabbed his face to lean in for a kiss.

The pair then cuddled up at a post-game party.