After losing the final against the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts have made a big deal with the winning team and have just announced that they have signed another and welcomed two long-gone top monster players.
The Indianapolis Colts struck a major deal with the winning team after losing the championship game to the Houston Texans, and they recently announced that they had signed two more top monster players.
INDIANAPOLIS: When the Texans faced the Colts in their season finale on January 8 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Davis Mills knew what was at risk.
In the event that the Texans lost to the Colts, they would have won the first overall pick in the 2023 draft and could have selected any player.
This summer, Sneed is a free agent. It is anticipated that the Kansas City Chiefs would apply their franchise tag to him. But Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that he has also been permitted to pursue a trade. In the event that Sneed and the Chiefs are unable to reach a long-term agreement, a tag-and-trade transaction may occur.
Sneed is among the NFL’s top cornerbacks. Having said that, he should be of interest to a number of teams. Which team will select him in the draft—the Colts?
To advance in the NFL, L’Jarius Sneed must be traded to the Colts. Sneed was chosen by Kansas City in the fourth round (138th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft thus far. In his nine games as a rookie, the Louisiana Tech product started six of them. Along with 41 tackles, he had two sacks, seven passes defensed, three interceptions, and two sacks.
2022 was arguably Sneed’s finest year to date. He started every one of the 17 games and finished with 108 tackles, 3 interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed, and 3 forced fumbles. Sneed finished the playoffs with 17 tackles and two passes defensed. Along with standouts Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, he helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl that season.
Sneed had 78 tackles, 14 passes defended, one fumble recovery, and two interceptions in 2023. During the postseason, he recorded 17 tackles, a forced fumble, and three pass breakups. After that, the Chiefs won another Super Bowl. They became the first team since the 2004 New England Patriots to win two straight.
The Reasons the Colts Should Sign L’Jarius Sneed
This past season, the Colts’ passing yardage allowed was in the middle of the pack. The team should still focus on improving the secondary this offseason, even though they don’t necessarily have the worst secondary in the league.
In 2023, rookies Julius Brents and Jaylon Jones performed admirably for Indianapolis. Additionally, Dallis Flowers, who just had a season marred by injuries, will make a comeback in 2024. However, the group still needs to add a cornerback.
The Colts’ top player at the position, Kenny Moore II, is a pending free agent who may choose to sign with another team. In the event that he departs, the team will require a long-term replacement to begin operations after Brents.
Sneed would make the ideal truck. The 192-pound, 6-foot-1 defender can play any position. He is among the league’s top blitzing cornerbacks and is capable of covering perimeter receivers.
Sneed performed admirably last season by containing talented wide receivers. In Week 9, Tyreek Hill caught eight catches for a mere sixty-two yards. Then, in the AFC Wild-Card Round, he caught five passes for sixty-two yards and a touchdown. In the Super Bowl, Sneed also assisted in stopping Justin Jefferson (3 for 28 yards), A.J. Brown (1-8), and Brandon Aiyuk (3-49).
In order to acquire Sneed, Indianapolis would likely need to forfeit one or two draft picks. Following the Colts will tell you that general manager Chris Ballard isn’t often one to make bold decisions. He should, however, think about making a trade for a reliable veteran like Sneed.They may not have selected C.J. Stroud as the first overall choice. With the third overall pick, they might not have been able to select Will Anderson.
From a player’s perspective, “any talk of tanking is one of the silliest things you can imagine,” Mills told the Chronicle. “We’re giving it our all in this fight to prevail. That’s the only thing on our minds. Our goal is to triumph. We are only evaluated on the basis of our performance.
Mills had a great deal at stake. Maybe with the Texans, he wanted to show that he could start in this league. Smith wanted to continue in his role as head coach. Akins was in his first year of employment.
The Texans defeated the Colts 23-19 to advance to the playoffs.
Jonathan Alexander, a sports journalist for the Houston Chronicle, analyzes the Texans’ victory over the Indianapolis Colts and their path to the postseason for the first time since 2024.
That year, the Colts were also having trouble. Under interim coach Jeff Saturday, they had one of the worst offenses in the NFL and were already out of the running to make the playoffs.
In the first meeting, the Texans and Colts ended in a 20-20 draw.
Tight end Brevin Jordan said, “Going into the game, my mindset was we got to beat these mothers.”
With 3:29 remaining and the ball at their 17-yard line, the Texans were behind by seven points after a back-and-forth battle.
They picked up the pace and twice encountered a fourth-and-six situation: once from the Indianapolis 48-yard line, and again from the Indianapolis 28-yard line.
“I just needed to buy enough time to get our guys close to the end zone; it wasn’t a true Hail Mary,” Mills remarked. “And in the middle of the field, Akins kind of opened up.”
It appeared to be a prayer as Mills let go of the pass. There were other Colts defenders around. Rodney Thomas, a safety for the Colts, was positioned to make the interception.
Chris Moore, a wide receiver for the Titans today, stated he believed Thomas had caught it.
Moore remarked, “I was like, ‘Here we go,’ when I saw the ball in flight and I saw the DB going up to pick it.” “This is how we are going to end our season.”
However, Thomas leaped too quickly, allowing the ball to pass between his hands. He was closely followed by Akins, who caught it for the touchdown.
Akins, who is currently a member of the Browns, remarked, “I saw the defender jump out at the ball instead of straight up.” I was aware that I had a chance to win the ball. I therefore knew the ball would fall directly over his hands when I broke on it and saw its nose come down. All I did was position myself to make the play.
Before entering the NFL, Akins was a professional baseball player, and he claimed that helped him track the ball.
The Texans were within one point after the touchdown. The game would have been tied with an additional point.
However, Smith raised two fingers, signaling his desire for the offense to attempt a two-point conversion and secure victory. For the Texans, it was an interesting time. A few hours after the game, Smith would be sacked, putting his job in peril.
Smith opted not to comment on this article. He expressed his wish for the Texans’ future success through his son/agent.
“At no point was I focused on doing anything other than helping our team win the game,” stated former offensive lineman Pep Hamilton, who declined to comment on what transpired during the game.
When Smith informed the players that they would be going for two, what were they thinking?
Moore expressed amazement. “But you get excited when you see your head coach act that way because it shows he believes you guys can go out there and cover these two points.”
“Let’s win the game,” left tackle Laremy Tunsil said, expressing his thoughts. I was in the zone, and all you want to do is win the game when you’re in that zone and you get a big play. Draft picks weren’t on my mind. My competitive nature took control.
According to Tunsil, he wasn’t shocked that they opted for two. He was a little taken aback by their fourth-and-20 run.
The game was won 32–31 by the Texans. After losing to the Vikings, the Bears had the top pick. (Carolina later acquired Alabama quarterback Bryce Young after Chicago traded it to them.) With the No. 2 choice, the Texans selected C.J. Stroud, who has established himself as the top quarterback in the draft thus far.
The Texans are about to make their first postseason appearance since 2019, thanks to him. It just so happens that Houston will once again conclude its season in Indianapolis. They will get in if they defeat the Colts on Saturday night.
But it all works out, Tunsil remarked. “Look what we have here. C.J. (Stroud). Anderson Jr.’s Will.
