There is a breath of fresh air for the Indianapolis Colts with the arrival of training camp as they look to turn the page from a disastrous 2022 season. However, in USA TODAY’s latest record predictions, they aren’t as bullish things will get turned around immediately.
USA TODAY’s Nate Davis went through projecting the regular-season record for every team and then going down through the playoffs to predict the Super Bowl LVIII winner.
The Colts were projected to win four games, which came in as the third-worst record in the league behind only the Arizona Cardinals (2-15) and Las Vegas Raiders (3-14).
Indianapolis Colts (4-13): They’ve finally made a long-term investment under center with promising first-round QB Anthony Richardson, though he doesn’t come with nearly the amount of big-time college experience as Young or Stroud. Pessimism should morph into optimism in Indy in 2023 even if the standings don’t reflect much change. But expect the Colts to become tougher to deal with the more reps Richardson gets. And he should benefit from being paired with rookie HC Shane Steichen, who helped Hurts blossom into a superstar in 2022.
Throughout the division, the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-7) led the way followed by the Tennessee Titans (8-9) and Houston Texans (6-11).
There’s an understanding that the Colts will be dealing with some extreme growing pains due to the youthfulness of the roster, but there also is some room for the team to provide some surprise above expectations.
If there ever was a season the Colts could exceed those expectations, it’s this one considering how low the majority of predictions have the team ranked.