Zaire Franklin cracked a smile as he addressed a brewing tension that had unfolded between him and Pat McAfee. The Indianapolis Colts linebacker knew that sooner or later, he would have to comment publicly on the back-and-forth exchanges he and McAfee had been having. The former Colts punter, who has since turned into a major media figure, had been openly critical of Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, and Franklin had taken issue with how McAfee voiced his opinion.
The controversy began after Richardson tapped out of a crucial divisional game against the Houston Texans in Week 8. McAfee was vocal in his criticism, even suggesting that the young quarterback should be benched.
But when the Colts subsequently suffered back-to-back losses, coupled with poor offensive performances under Joe Flacco, McAfee suddenly reversed his position and argued that the team should put Richardson back in as the starter. This flip-flopping didn’t sit well with Franklin, who felt that McAfee was being unfair to his teammate.
Both Franklin and McAfee traded barbs on their respective platforms—Franklin on his podcast and McAfee on his popular sports show. However, Franklin seemed ready to make peace during a recent press conference, where he addressed the situation directly.
“Being in the locker room, me being boots on the ground, I want to give our fans—I want to give our alumni—something to be proud of and something to continue to cheer for,” Franklin said. “So, there is no back and forth. There is no feud because, at the end of the day, we want the same things.”
When asked jokingly if he would consider collaborating with McAfee on his podcast to boost ratings, Franklin just laughed it off. “Look, man,” he said, grinning. “Playoff ratings hit the best.”
RELATED: Pat McAfee Apologizes to Anthony Richardson, Criticizes Colts’ Team Culture
The focus for Franklin and the Colts, however, needs to be on much more than putting an end to public disagreements. The team faces significant challenges on the field, none bigger than the issues plaguing their offensive line. The Colts have now lost four of their last five games, including a mistake-filled defeat against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The game saw Indianapolis rack up a season-high 10 penalties, two of which were declined, with eight of those penalties coming on the offensive side of the ball. Five of those penalties were attributed to the offensive line, contributing to the team’s season-low six points and a second-half shutout.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson struggled behind the makeshift line, completing just 11 of 28 passes for 172 yards, giving him his second-lowest completion percentage of the season at 39.3%. The pressure on Richardson was relentless—he was pressured on 46.7% of his dropbacks, making it extremely difficult for him to operate effectively.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Richardson completed just 2 of 14 passes for 33 yards when under pressure, compared to a much more respectable 9 of 14 for 139 yards when given a clean pocket.
Despite Richardson’s less-than-stellar stat line, Colts head coach Shane Steichen was quick to defend his young quarterback. “I don’t think his stat line reflected the way he played,” Steichen said on Monday. “I thought he played pretty darn well looking back at the tape. We had some big plays negated by penalties. But again, I thought he was efficient running the football. He threw it to the right guy, made the right reads. I know he missed a few that he wants back, but man, I thought he did a great job. I really did.”
Richardson also led the Colts in rushing, with 10 carries for a career-high 61 yards. However, it’s clear that Indianapolis can’t rely solely on Richardson’s rushing ability to carry the offense.
Running back Jonathan Taylor, who was the NFL rushing champion in 2021, has struggled to find any space lately. Against the Lions, Taylor averaged just 1.09 yards before contact, well below the league average of 1.48, finishing with a season-low 35 yards on 11 carries.
Taylor acknowledged the need for improvement, saying, “We just gotta find a way to churn out some of those dirty yards.” Unfortunately, the offensive line’s current state hasn’t allowed Taylor much opportunity to do that. Against the Jets, Taylor averaged a dismal 0.13 yards before contact, indicating that the line was providing little support. Despite carrying the ball 24 times for just 57 yards in that game, Richardson’s heroics managed to secure a narrow win for the Colts. However, Sunday’s game against Detroit didn’t have the same outcome, as the offense failed to find any rhythm.
Steichen acknowledged that changes might be needed to get the running game back on track. “Again, it starts with myself,” Steichen said. “I think schematically, we’ve gotta look at some things, on what we’re doing, to get that thing going because [Taylor] is a very talented player that can create the home runs for us.”
One major issue for the Colts is the constant turnover along the offensive line. Starting center Ryan Kelly has missed three consecutive games while on injured reserve with a knee injury, and his replacement, rookie Tanor Bortolini, is now in the concussion protocol. This means Indianapolis could potentially start their third different center of the season—reserve Danny Pinter—in their next game against New England. Pinter hasn’t started a game since 2022 and has only seven career starts in the NFL.
Adding to the Colts’ woes, they are also missing two other starting offensive linemen. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann has been sidelined for the last two games with a knee injury and remains week-to-week, while right guard Will Fries broke his fibula in Week 5 and is likely done for the season.
Their replacements, rookie third-round pick Matt Goncalves and undrafted rookie Dalton Tucker, have faced their own struggles. Tucker, in particular, has had a tough time since assuming a starting role in Week 6, allowing 23 QB pressures—the third-most among all offensive linemen during that span, according to TruMedia.
Tucker spoke about the difficulties of transitioning from college to the NFL, saying, “The guys across from you are studying you as well. They know your weaknesses like the back of their hand, and they’re gonna take advantage of that. I have to continue to watch myself and see what other people are seeing, that way I can fix that. … The room for error there is very slim.”
While Steichen has continued to support Tucker and the rest of the young offensive line, he also mentioned that the team recently signed veteran guard Mark Glowinski to their practice squad as a potential reinforcement.
Glowinski previously started 55 games for the Colts from 2018 to 2021, and while he hasn’t played in an NFL game since starting for the Giants in their regular-season finale last year, he could provide much-needed experience to the struggling line.
For the Colts, there’s no time for excuses. With their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, they need to find a way to win games despite the challenges. “There’s no excuses for anything. It’s all reality in this profession,” Steichen said. “You gotta go win football games.”
The Colts may have managed to put an end to the public feud between Zaire Franklin and Pat McAfee, but if they want to have any hope of making it to the playoffs, they have far more pressing issues to address—starting with getting their offensive line healthy and providing the support their young quarterback needs.
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