Could the Indianapolis Colts Have Won Super Bowl XLVIII?

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

The Indianapolis Colts didn’t have the chance to face the World Champion Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, but they might have put up a better fight.

Indianapolis was eliminated from the AFC divisional round of the NFL Playoffs by the New England Patriots, abruptly ending their hopes of a Super Bowl title this season. The Colts didn’t look very solid in New England, but New England didn’t look to formidable against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game the following week. Subsequently, the Broncos put up the most lopsided Super Bowl loss in over a decade against Seattle.

The Colts were the only team in the NFL this season to defeat both the Seahawks and the Broncos. In week seven, the Colts upended Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis, with a strong 39-33 victory. Indianapolis also defeated the eventual Super Bowl Champions 34-28 in week five, handing the Seahawks their first loss of the season.

It certainly looked like no one on Earth was going to defeat Seattle during Super Bowl XLVIII. The Seahawks played one of the most dominant games ever, against the highest-scoring offense in NFL history. Still, the Colts are the only team in the league to hold victories over both Super Bowl participants. Indianapolis may not have won the game, but they definitely would have went down swinging.