Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman is used to leading the team in targets.
He’s done so again through three games of the 2024 season with 20 looks his way.
What is he unaccustomed to? Those targets leading to minimal production, something he acknowledged he can’t let affect him or his team’s objective of winning.
“Yeah, you have to fight it because if that gets to you, then you start playing bad,” Pittman said, via Fox59’s Mike Chappell. “You start doing too much. You’ve gotta fight that off and just know that it is a team sport. As long as we win games, it’s good. You have to put [the frustrations] aside.
“Obviously, we want to do more. Me, I want to do a lot more. But you have to do what you’re asked to do and just be a good teammate.”
Thus far on the young season, Pittman’s 20 targets are almost double that of the next Colt (Alec Pierce, 12).
He’s turned that into just 88 yards on 11 catches. His 8.0 yards per reception comes in 1.3 yards off his worst-ever season total, while his 55.0 catch percentage is currently 10.6% lower than his 2020 rookie season, Pittman’s worst in that category.
His numbers across the board are far off from his career rates, not to mention down from last season, a 109-catch, 1,152-yard campaign that stands as Pittman’s best to date and led to his three-year, $70 million extension over the summer.
Pittman eclipsed his current three-game yardage total in five different standalone contests last season, one of which came during Anthony Richardson‘s first start as a rookie.
This year, though, the connection hasn’t been there as Richardson’s struggled mightily with his accuracy. The second-year QB, who only made four starts in 2023 before he lost his season to injury, hasn’t completed more than half his passes in any contest this season, plus he leads the league with six interceptions.
Indy has enjoyed more success on the ground behind Richardson’s scrambles and running back Jonathan Taylor‘s steady contributions, surpassing 100 yards rushing as a team each week.
During the Colts’ first victory of the season in Week 3 over the Bears, the scales swung heavily that way, as the offense dialed up 33 run plays compared to 20 passes.
Pittman knows sometimes that will be the winning formula.
“I think Travis Kelce said it the best,” he said. “You have to be unselfish with the type of team we are right now. Just knowing we’re going to do what is going to win us games and we’re going to do whatever that is.
“Some games it could be a passing attack. Some games it could be a run attack. Man, it’s all about winning the game. As long as we’re winning games, you kind of put your head down and just keep going.”
He also understands there’s plenty of football ahead to rectify his current lull. Indianapolis will figure out its best balance to remain competitive, with more opportunities hopefully leading to more comfort for Richardson behind center.
That in turn could lead to better days ahead for the fifth-year WR, who has shown time and time again he’s capable of adjusting to change and delivering.
“We’re just being patient,” Pittman said. “We are committed to getting better each day and opportunities are going to come. When they do, we have to make the most of them.”
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