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Stephen Holder, ESPN
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts dropped their third straight game in Sunday’s 30-20 loss to the Bills, and cornerback Kenny Moore II knows time is running out to rectify the team’s problems. And those issues extend beyond the quarterback dilemma, Moore said Sunday.
“I don’t think everybody’s going as hard as possible and, obviously, it’s showing,” said Moore, a 2021 Pro Bowl selection and one of the team’s longest-tenured players. “I’m not the type to sugarcoat it. Honestly, I don’t think the urgency is there. I don’t think the details are there. … I don’t see everything correlating from meetings to practice to the games, and it shows.”
The Colts started 0-2, then ripped off four wins in five games. Since then, they’ve lost consecutive games to the Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings and, on Sunday, the Bills. The lack of consistency doesn’t sit well with Moore.
“You’ve got to define yourself,” he added. “You’ve got to define the identity of the team. We’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves how bad we want it. And, honestly, it’s [about] turning the page. … The thing that’s frustrating is, you’re letting things leak into another week.
“You’re only as great as your last performance. But once we step out on the field again, you’ve got the opportunity to change that narrative. But to go out and [make] the same mistakes over and over, I think that’s what drives me insane.”
Moore didn’t name names during his rant, but the statements were notable for a player who usually is measured with his words.
“We’ve just got to start addressing it and not sugarcoat it or beat around the bush,” he said. “I think that’s what we are lacking. And, honestly, year to year, it’s the same thing.”
The other consistent issue for the Colts is quarterback questions. And Sunday’s game provided no clarity on that front after veteran Joe Flacco turned in a second straight performance that called into question coach Shane Steichen’s recent move to bench Anthony Richardson for the 39-year-old veteran.
The day started with a pick-six on Flacco’s first pass attempt, with Bills cornerback Taron Johnson scoring from 23 yards out. It was the first of four turnovers for Flacco on the day — three interceptions and a lost fumble.
“An awful decision,” Flacco said of the initial interception.
Some fans in the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium could be heard booing after the first interception and throughout the day after the various failures of the Indianapolis offense.
“We’ve got to give them something to cheer about,” Steichen said.
Steichen was grilled in his postgame news conference about Flacco’s status and whether he might consider a lineup change. But he indicated none was coming.
“Right now, Joe is our guy,” Steichen said.
Flacco’s Bills performance came one week after he struggled in a loss to the Vikings, a game in which the Colts established season lows in total yards, offensive points and first downs.
Richardson, the 2023 fourth overall draft selection, was benched after his sixth start of the season with the idea that the Colts could make a run at the postseason. But they are 0-2 since the change and their fans Sunday let them hear about it Sunday.
“This is a humbling game,” Flacco said of the boos. “This league is tough.”
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