Just a few weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colts were being viewed as the likely candidate to win the AFC South division and enter the playoffs. Now, there is a very real chance they could miss out on making the playoffs entirely.
While the return of quarterback Jacoby Brissett from an MCL sprain could help turn things around, Mike Jones of USA TODAY believes the Colts are among a handful of teams that should begin worrying about the potential of missing the playoffs.
With or without Jacoby Brissett, the Colts should have been able to beat the Dolphins. But they didn’t. Indianapolis suffered its second straight defeat and now is 5-4. When they beat the Texans and the Chiefs earlier this year, the Colts seemingly signaled that they belonged in the dark horse conversation. But Indianapolis suddenly is trending in the wrong direction.
Though Brissett’s return could help spark this group, the team has the slimmest margin for error. The Colts aren’t built to blow teams out. They instead do it in grind-it-out fashion, narrowly outscoring their opponents this year 194-193. That only further magnifies their problem at kicker, where Adam Vinatieri has missed six extra-point attempts and five field goals.
The division is still wide open and getting healthy could boost the Colts in the coming weeks. But they have a crucial and difficult schedule coming up—and there is a chance it determines their playoff hopes.
The next three games for the Colts are all against divisional opponents. They follow that up with a trip to Tampa Bay and New Orleans. It’s a tough stretch of games that is likely to determine the fate of their season.
There is still a chance for the Colts, but it starts with a home matchup against the Jaguars on Sunday.