The Indianapolis Colts are turning the page fast after Sunday’s collapse against Tennessee.
What looked like a routine win at Lucas Oil Stadium unraveled into a 26-20 loss to the previously winless Titans, a defeat that hit hard enough to cost general manager Chris Ballard his job on Monday. The Colts had a 13-0 halftime lead, but the second half went sideways in a hurry: Jonathan Taylor fumbled early after the break, Daniel Jones threw two interceptions, and Tennessee got to the quarterback six times.
The result dropped Indianapolis to 2-4 and added fresh pressure around a team that now looks as if it may be heading toward another losing season. Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said in a statement that the organization needed a change in leadership to meet its championship expectations, and that the club’s sense of urgency has “never been higher.” Head coach Shane Steichen, for now, stays put.
Ballard’s run in Indianapolis is over after starting in 2017. The Colts did reach the playoffs twice under his watch, but they never built the kind of steady success the franchise wanted. Sunday’s blown lead was the final blow for a front office that had been trying, unsuccessfully, to push the team back into regular postseason contention.
Ballard had arrived in Indianapolis after time with the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs, where he worked as a scout, then moved into roles as director of player personnel and football operations. He was named NFL Executive of the Year in 2018 and helped bring in key pieces such as Quenton Nelson and Jonathan Taylor.
Still, the quarterback picture never settled. After Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement in 2019, the Colts kept searching for answers.
They traded a first- and third-round pick for Carson Wentz in 2021, brought in Matt Ryan for a third-round pick in 2022, and used the fourth overall pick on Anthony Richardson in 2023. None of those moves delivered lasting stability.
Under Ballard, Indianapolis went 72-82-1 in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs, with postseason trips in 2018 and 2020.
Now the franchise is staring at the next reset. The Colts enter Week 7 at 2-4, with road games coming against the Vikings and Jaguars. Steichen remains in charge, but the way Indianapolis handles the next stretch could go a long way toward deciding his future too.
In Other News...
Colts Reset Puts Jonathan Taylor At Center Of A Huge Decision
The Colts decision to move on from general manager Chris Ballard has reset the conversation around the franchise, and Jonathan Taylor sits right in the middle of it. Indianapolis still has an established star in the backfield, and the front-office change only sharpens the question of how the next leadership group wants to shape the roster around him after the owner stressed that the standard remains to keep competing.
Taylors place in that picture is complicated by the timing. He signed a two-year extension in August, keeping him under contract through the 2028 season, which makes him one of the more notable long-term pieces on the roster even as the organization sorts out its next direction. For a team with a new decision-maker on the way, that kind of commitment can mean stability, leverage, or both, and it ensures Taylor will remain a central part of the discussion no matter what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Suddenly Have A Travis Hunter Problem In AFC South Race
Travis Hunters role in Jacksonville has suddenly become a much bigger talking point for the Colts as the AFC South race tightens. The rookie cornerback did more than just flash on defense in Week 6, finishing with an interception, four catches for 59 yards, three tackles and a pass defended while also finding the end zone as a receiver, a reminder that the Jaguars are willing to lean harder into his two-way value.
What makes that development relevant in Indianapolis is the way Jacksonville has steadily expanded Hunters offensive involvement. After barely being used in the passing game early on, he looked far more featured last week, and that kind of usage can change how the Colts have to prepare on both sides of the ball. For a division matchup that already carries weight, Hunter is no longer just a defensive assignment, he is becoming part of the game plan in a more unpredictable way. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Suddenly Have A Big Question About Chasing Sauce Gardner
The Panthers fast start has them looking like a team that could be thinking bigger than just staying in the hunt. At 3-2 and coming off a win in Philadelphia, Carolina has at least some reason to wonder whether a bold roster swing could help it keep pace, which is why a name like Sauce Gardner naturally enters the conversation even if nothing is actually on the table yet.
For Indianapolis, though, the idea immediately runs into reality. Gardner is fresh off a recent contract extension, and the Colts paid a steep price to get him from the Jets last November, so any trade talk would be complicated before it even got off the ground. The bigger question for Carolina is not whether Gardner would fit, but whether there is any realistic path to pry him loose at all. [Read more 🡒]