1. Arrival of Philip Rivers
The play of QB Philip Rivers will be key in determining the ceiling of the Indianapolis Colts in 2020.
Our reasoning behind this isn’t so much a knock on Jacoby Brissett, who performed reasonably well across 15 starts last season, as it is a testament to the needed veteran presence of Philip Rivers.
The 38-year-old is clearly in the twilight of his career, but he can still sling the pigskin with the best of them. Though he performed well under his lofty standards in 2019, he is just one season removed from completing over 68% of his passes for 4,308 yards and 32 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions.
We’re obviously not expecting Rivers to post those numbers, as the Colts rely far too heavily on the run game for that to happen.
However, he will be expected to not turn the ball over as often as he did (20 interceptions and eight fumbles) last campaign. That was largely due to the fact that the Chargers were playing from behind most games. Luckily for him, Indianapolis’ offense is built to gain early leads and control possession behind its run game and offensive line.
If Rivers understands what’s being asked of him and doesn’t try to do too much, the Colts will definitely claim the AFC South crown in 2020.
What are you, scared of Ryan Tannehill or something?