When Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore was at the Pro Bowl and surrounded by teammates, he couldn’t help but ask a simple question — “why are we here?”
Moore was one of six Colts at the Pro Bowl. A seventh, Quenton Nelson, was named to the game but did not go. Speaking to Colts.com, Moore remembered the first day of Pro Bowl week. When he saw so many familiar faces, he couldn’t help but feel that the team should have been getting ready to play in Super Bowl LVI.
“We were eating breakfast and it was a table full of Colts,” Moore said, per JJ Stankevitz of Colts.com. “And I’m just like, why are we here?”
“There was another time when we were taking pictures after Saturday’s practice — it was the last practice before we go to the game. And we took a group picture and I was just like, dang, we have all this talent.”
It’s easy to understand why Moore felt that way.
In terms of high-end talent, Indianapolis doesn’t take a backseat to anyone. When the Pro Bowl rosters were introduced in December, the Colts led the league (though they would later be equaled by the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers and surpassed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the final rosters, following injuries and opt-outs).
Yet, despite all of that, the Colts not only fell short of the Super Bowl but missed the playoffs altogether. So, what happened?
Sitting at 9-7 heading into the regular season finale, Indianapolis needed only a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars — the NFL’s worst team. While the Jacksonville fans dressed as clowns to show their feelings towards their favorite team, the Jaguars thoroughly outplayed the Colts on the field. Jacksonville never trailed and posted a convincing 26-11 victory, keeping Indianapolis out of the playoffs.
Bigger picture, while the Colts had a lot of talent, they struggled at the most important position — quarterback. The health of Carson Wentz was a concern for team owner Jim Irsay early in the season. For the most part, that was not an issue: Wentz started all 17 games. His play, though, was poor, and the Colts know it. The struggles were particularly glaring in the Week 18 loss to the Jaguars.
Making matters worse, Indianapolis gave up a 2022 first-round pick to get Wentz. The No. 16 overall pick certainly could have bolstered an already strong roster.
All of that aside, there is reason to be upbeat about the Colts, despite the way their season ended. As Moore said, there’s a lot of talent on the team. If the quarterback situation is stabilized, it’s possible that Moore and his teammates won’t have to worry about the Pro Bowl next year.
