One of the NFL’s most promising teams just lost an MVP candidate. Andrew Luck’s retirement leaves the Indianapolis Colts in bad shape. They may have Jacoby Brissett, a player who is capable of leading an offense for 16 games. But Brissett is not Luck, who was an elite quarterback. Brissett is not the type of player who takes over games. Instead, he will likely manage the Colts offense, and coach Frank Reich will have to get the rest of his team to support Brissett.
Because of that significant shift at quarterback, the New England Patriots are in better shape for a Super Bowl run. The Patriots have serious competition in the AFC. The Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers and perhaps even the Cleveland Browns have the talent to push the Patriots in the playoff hunt.
Without Luck, the Colts, who would have probably been in that list of the AFC’s elite, are no longer intimidating competitors. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Bill Belchick isn’t ready for Brissett, a player who the Patriots drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Brissett comes with limitations – he’s slow to read of the field and occasionally lacks the requisite touch. He’s the type of quarterback that Belichick and the Patriots talented defense can probably devour with complicated fronts and schematic wrinkles.
The Colts have an impressive defense, led by linebacker Darius Butler, who made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season. They also have an impressive offensive line, with another second-year player in guard Quenton Nelson. Indy will have to lean on those strengths as they look toward the future. But that may be what the Colts have to do: think about the future. They’re no longer built to win a Super Bowl in 2019, which is a huge turn of events for the Patriots, who are looking to make their fifth Super Bowl appearance in six years.
