Jim Irsay, the owner of the Colts, apologized to the fans in a statement he sent on Wednesday after the club “finished our season in possibly the worst way possible and squandered our chance to fight for history.”
Just a few days after the Colts missed the playoffs for the seventh time in the previous seven seasons, Irsay made the comment.
Irsay and the Colts could be left feeling the pain of this season’s failure for a while because all they needed to do was win one of their final two games to clinch a postseason spot.
The Jaguars, who will have the first overall pick in the April draft, humiliated Indianapolis by defeating them at Jacksonville in Week 18 after losing to the Raiders at home in Week 17.
As soon as they arrived back from Jacksonville on Sunday night, Irsay met with head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard at the team’s headquarters in Indianapolis.
The Colts were in a position to make the playoffs after bouncing back from a 0-3 and 1-4 season-opening record.
After trading first- and third-round picks to the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Carson Wentz during the offseason, the Colts entered this season with high hopes.
Wentz, meanwhile, was unable to get into a routine this year. Only twice in the final eight games did he throw for more than 200 yards, raising the issue of whether he is the long-term solution at the position.