Colts remaining schedule gives hope for big bounce back

Any Indianapolis Colts fans out there that have already mailed it in? If so, we wouldn’t blame you.

The Carson Wentz experiment has gone poorly, though it’s hardly his fault. Speaking of which, the offensive line has regressed beyond belief. And somehow Jonathan Taylor hasn’t been involved nearly as much as we would’ve hoped.

As for the defense, well, ranking 22nd in points allowed (26.7) and 28th in rushing yards allowed per game (140.3) is downright embarrassing considering the group was being hyped up as a top-five unit during the offseason.

With all that being said, what if we told you that writing the Colts off already would be a mistake? We get it, alright. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” We’d hate to get duped by Indy again, but hear us out.

Per ESPN analyst Mike Clay, the Colts have seventh-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. That’s got to give fans hope for a potential bounce back, no?

The Colts’ remaining schedule suggests they could be playing meaningful football down the stretch.

That graphic takes into account the Week 4 matchup vs Miami and the Week 5 matchup vs Baltimore, too.

Before the season, those games looked daunting. Fast forward to Week 4, however, and the Dolphins are 1-2 with a struggling defense and stagnant offense. The Ravens, meanwhile, needed a record-setting field goal from Justin Tucker as time expired to squeak past the sorry Lions in Week 3.

All of a sudden, those are two extremely winnable games for the Colts. From there, Indy will face the Texans, 49ers, Titans, Jets, and Jaguars before a tough two-game stretch against the Bills and Buccaneers, respectively.

Maybe we’re being too optimistic, but the Colts could sit a few games over .500 before the Bills and Bucs matchups if they handle their business.

From there, Indy has the Texans again before locking horns against a deeply flawed Patriots squad after their Week 14 bye. The stretch run includes tilts vs the Cardinals and Raiders with the Jaguars awaiting in the Week 18 finale.

We’d have more confidence in the Colts bouncing back if they managed to win one of their opening three games, but let’s not forget they pushed the Rams — the undisputed best team in the NFL through three weeks — to the brink in Week 2 despite the fact that Carson Wentz was running for his life on every snap.

We’re not saying fans should jump back in with both feet. At the end of the day, this is still an 0-3 team that has an uphill climb. However, contending in the division isn’t out of the question because the Titans aren’t that good.

There’s a lot of football left to be played and the Colts, at least on paper, have the talent to get this turned around.

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