Colts: ESPN Projects Indianapolis’ Win Total for 2018 Season

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 18: Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts drops back to pass the ball in the second quarter of the game agains the Minnesota Vikings on December 18, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 18: Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts drops back to pass the ball in the second quarter of the game agains the Minnesota Vikings on December 18, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

ESPN’s Football Power Index has forecasted the Colts’ 2018 season as statistical projections are starting to come out for the upcoming year.

The Colts may be one of the hardest teams for the experts to project in 2018.

If Andrew Luck comes back healthy and picks up right where he left off, Indianapolis could be a playoff contender with a chance to make some noise in the postseason.

If the Colts don’t get a healthy season from their franchise quarterback, they have a chance to be one of the worst teams in the league.

ESPN’s Football Power Index projects Indianapolis to fall somewhere in between those two possibilities as they expect the Colts to win 6.8 games next season.

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FPI gives them a 17% chance at making the playoffs, and a 9% chance of winning an AFC South division that could be the strongest it’s been in years. The Jaguars and Titans are coming off of years where they each won a playoff game, and the Texans have high hopes for 2018 with a healthy Deshaun Watson.

According to ESPN’s metrics, Indianapolis has a 1% chance of reaching next year’s Super Bowl and a less than 1% chance of taking home the Lombardi Trophy.

One of the positive takeaways from FPI’s projections is that they believe the Colts seventh-easiest schedule in the league next season.

Andrew Luck isn’t the only question mark that the experts need to consider.

Frank Reich is entering his first season as an NFL head coach. While Colts fans are mostly excited to see him get to work, Reich is still a major wild card heading into 2018.

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The statistics don’t expect Indianapolis to have a stellar season in Reich’s first year, but there is an extremely wide variety of possible outcomes for the Colts’ upcoming campaign.

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