Indianapolis Colts Mid-Season Update
It might not seem like it’s gone that fast, but the NFL season is nearly halfway over as we approach Week 9. For the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday’s loss in Pittsburgh was the exact halfway point in the season.
Thus far, Indy has accumulated a 5-3 overall record. The Colts have home wins against the Titans, Ravens and Bengals along with two road wins against the Jaguars and Texans. Indy’s accumulated two road losses against the Broncos and Steelers along with a home loss to the Eagles.
The wins have been certain wins. Against Jacksonville, Tennessee and Cincinnati, the Colts convincingly used a high-octane offense along with a fairly stout defense to dismantle their opponents. Even in closer wins against Baltimore and Houston, a balanced attack of aerial proficiency and gritty defensive play helped give the Colts victories.
In Indy’s three losses, there were plenty of things to be content about. Against Denver and Philadelphia, the Colts showed that they could play toe-to-toe against some of the top teams in the NFL. The Colts were a stalled drive away from sending the game to overtime in Denver while a couple late-game miscues and errors gifted an away win to Philadelphia. While things weren’t so pretty in Pittsburgh, the Colts have played well despite not grabbing a W every time.
Now, the Colts find themselves at a solid 5-3 and will look to take on the second half of their schedule. In the next eight games, Colts opponents currently have a combined record of 29-33. It certainly shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for a 5-3 team who has been cruising on offense. Many of the games are fairly sure games, but let’s take a look at some games that could give the Colts a few stumbling blocks:
New England Patriots: Yep, the biggie. After the Giants game and a bye week, the Colts will take on the Patriots at home for the first time in the Andrew Luck era. Considering the game is in Indianapolis, the Colts may be slightly favored, but it has the makings to be a great one. The Patriots have been on fire after a slow start and Tom Brady has played flawless football. There’s a good chance that they come into Indy and stun the Colts. Indy has every weapon they need to dismantle New England’s new-look defensive approach, but this game will be the biggest test on the schedule. It certainly could be a deciding factor in the fight for a No. 2 seed as playoff seeding looms in the future.
New York Giants: Let’s not look over Indy’s next matchup on Monday night. The Giants have been a decent team this year and will represent a challenge on the road. Eli Manning is having a great season and could find the same success against the Colts’ pass defense as Ben Roethlisberger did last Sunday. The Colts should win this game, but New York will give it all they have to upset the Colts for a big home win.
Dallas Cowboys: This game isn’t until late December and a lot could happen before then. The health of Tony Romo and the status of Dallas’ defense will be telling as the matchup approaches. DeMarco Murray has been in amazing form and I’m not sure the Colts can stop him in his current rampaging state. There’s a lot of things that could happen before this matchup late in the year, but going into Dallas to try and grab a road win will be tough against the current Cowboys team.