The new NFL season kicked off on Thursday, September 7th, 2023, when the Detroit Lions traveled down to Kansas City and shocked the Chiefs, beating the reigning Superbowl champions 21-20. With the new season’s first week officially entirely in the rearview mirror, this also means the Indianapolis Colts have begun their 2023 campaign. The Colts lost their season opener, against the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars- making it a full decade since the last time the Colts have won their opening game. The Colts ended up losing by ten points after Jacksonville scored two touchdowns in the final five and a half minutes of the game.
The Colts first game also signifies the beginning of the new era in Indianapolis, marking the beginning of Anthony Richardson’s career in Indianapolis. Colts fans hope he is the answer to the team’s struggle at quarterback since the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck. In his first NFL start, he went 24/37 for 263 all-purpose yards, a passing touchdown, and a touchdown on the ground as well. He limited his mistakes for the most part, but he did throw an interception late in his debut. Richardson also appeared to be injured near the end of the game, but it did not turn out to be a serious injury and he will be active and ready to play when the Colts head down to Texas to play the Houston Texans this Sunday at 1:00 PM. There appears to be plenty of reasons for optimism and hopefulness of the future of the organization.
Most fans agree that the team is not ready to compete just yet, but fans seemed pleased by the team’s overall performance on Sunday, despite the loss. “It was a good game… It was a really good game. We kind of fell off near the end but it was competitive.” says Senior Cj Minofu, a local Colts fan. “I really liked DeForest Buckner’s touchdown. (Referring to his fumble-recovery touchdown that gave the Colts a 21-17 lead.) That was awesome.”
