The Indianapolis Colts didn't exactly end their season last year with high hopes after beginning it that way. The Matt Ryan trade with the Atlanta Falcons ended up being a colossal disaster, mainly due to a putrid offensive line. Then Jonathan Taylor got hurt mid-season. And then who could forget the Jeff Saturday experiment after Frank Reich was fired after Week 9?

With every season starting anew, the Colts more than likely couldn't wait to get to the offseason, looking forward to the 2023. Still, optimism felt rather low. This team had a lot to fix coming out of 2022. Plus, polarizing owner Jim Irsay was and still is running the ship. His spats with running back Jonathan Taylor throughout the offseason leading up to the season have been well documented. But optimism rang in from 1. the Colts' No. 4 overall first-round draft pick, Anthony Richardson; and 2. new head coach Shane Steichen. And so far, they're both looking promising through the first month of the season.

On Sunday, the Colts made a comeback, recovering from a 23-point deficit against the Los Angeles Rams to take the game into overtime. The Colts would still end up losing the game, however, but it showed that this is an Indianapolis team that has made major progress. And even in a loss, now 2-2 on the young season, there's plenty of new optimism to be had for this team.

Anthony Richardson is a game changer

Let's start with the obvious — starting quarterback Anthony Richardson. It's fair to say that there were many skeptics on Richardson coming out of college when he played with the Florida Gators. Firstly, his 13 starts weren't much to go on, and what there was to be graded and judged wasn't great, including his 56.9 completion percentage. And secondly, even if Richardson had the athletic makeup, he was going to be a huge project that wouldn't be readily available this season, maybe not even next.

After missing last week due to concussion protocol, Richardson went 11-for-25 with 200 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 10 times for 56 yards and another score. He was, obviously, a big part of the reason for the Colts' comeback.

It's clear, though, that Richardson is still a work in progress and much needs to be refined before he can be considered part of the elite quarterbacks of the NFL. He's more than likely playing off pure instinct at this point. But the Colts are responding to his play and his leadership. The offense itself just runs differently because of his playmaking abilities. It's still early and a lot can change, but if you're a Colts fan, it's time to start feeling optimistic about Richardson, that is if you already weren't.

Offensive line play

Remember how awful the offensive line was last year for the Colts? It's a surprise that Matt Ryan and all those that followed him after being benched and eventually cut, are still alive. The Colts' line, who gave up an average of 3.53 sacks a game, was straight-up manhandled in the trenches last season, all after being the highest paid in the NFL.

This year, however, the line looks nearly night and day from last season's unit. Their sacks allowed have dropped to 2.75 times a game, according to StatMuse.

Shane Steichen as head coach

The Colts have been in every game this season, not getting blown out like most believed they would after the way last season went down. Having a rookie head coach and quarterback leading the team also didn't give anyone much optimism about this year's Colts team.

The Colts are now 2-2 and have been competitive in every game. Their largest deficit of loss was in Week 1 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, losing by 10. They beat AFC South rival the Houston Texans by 11 in Week 2 and beat the Baltimore Ravens by three in overtime in Week 3. The Ravens victory was without Richardson, too, with backup Gardner Minshew filling in. And this has also been a team without their star running back, Jonathan Taylor, who is now only expected to possibly return in Week 5.