The Indianapolis Colts' 2025 season began with promise but is now unraveling into something far more frustrating: a familiar slide into mediocrity. At 8-7 after a Week 16 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Colts are staring down the barrel of another 8-9 or 9-8 finish - a record range they've hit in four of the last five seasons.
That kind of consistency might sound fine on paper, but in the NFL, hovering around .500 year after year is a recipe not for outrage, but for apathy. And apathy, not anger, is what should worry this franchise most.
Yes, injuries have played a role - most notably the Achilles tear that knocked quarterback Daniel Jones out in Week 14 - but it’s important to remember that the cracks were already showing before that. The Colts were outside the playoff picture even before Jones went down. His injury didn’t derail a contender; it exposed a team already teetering.
The Week 16 loss to the 49ers was a defensive collapse, plain and simple. San Francisco moved the ball at will, piling up points and making it look easy.
That came just one week after the Colts’ defense had arguably its best showing of the season in a heartbreaking loss to the Seahawks - a game decided by a last-second field goal. Inconsistency has been the theme: when the defense shows up, the offense sputters.
When the offense finds a rhythm, the defense springs leaks. And when both falter, you get what we saw against the Niners.
Head coach Shane Steichen addressed the media after that loss with the kind of boilerplate remarks that have become all too familiar in Indianapolis: “We’ve got to be better. That starts with me.”
It’s the right thing to say, but it’s also the kind of thing fans have heard too many times. There’s no insight, no fire, no sense of urgency.
Just another version of “we need to clean things up.”
Steichen also noted, “(The 49ers) scored a lot of points, went up and down the field. We’ve got to get that cleaned up in a hurry.”
Again - no lies detected, but no real substance either. Colts fans watched that game.
They saw the missed tackles, the blown coverages, the lack of resistance. They don’t need a recap.
What they want is accountability that feels real, not rehearsed.
The Colts have now dropped five straight games. Two of those came with Daniel Jones still under center.
This isn’t just about injuries - it’s about a team that hasn’t found a way to win when it matters. And that’s a coaching issue as much as it is a personnel one.
Steichen isn’t the kind of coach who rants at the podium or throws players under the bus. That’s not his style - and that’s fine.
But at some point, a little visible frustration wouldn’t hurt. Fans aren’t asking for theatrics; they just want to know the losses sting as much inside the building as they do in the stands.
Right now, the message feels flat, and that’s dangerous territory for a franchise that’s already treading water.
With two games left, the Colts are on the verge of another forgettable finish. And while the standings may say they’re still technically alive, the momentum - or lack thereof - tells a different story.
The risk isn’t just missing the playoffs. It’s becoming a team fans stop believing in altogether.