Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich believes his team’s chances to be the most dominant in the AFC are as good as can be after Week 10.
On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts recorded their second-straight victory with a 23-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The win moved the Colts to 5-5 and kept them second in the AFC South— three games back of the Titans.
Even with just a 500 record, coming off a game that was far closer than it should’ve been, Indianapolis is still high about its ability to rise as one of the best teams in the AFC. This was demonstrated by head coach Frank Reich’s comments in the wake of the win.
When speaking with the media following Sunday’s matchup, Reich argued that no AFC franchise has set themselves apart, so why can’t the Colts be the team to do it?
"There’s a lot of good teams in the AFC but no one’s just taken over, so why can’t it be us? Why can’t the Indianapolis Colts take over right now? That’s our mindset. Why can’t we take over? So, if we’re going to do it, we got to prove it this weekend in Buffalo against a very good football team."
Reich is correct. The AFC is wide open, and the Colts are squarely in the mix. Even after starting the season 1-4, Indianapolis is currently one of the teams ‘in the hunt’ of the playoff picture. With seven games remaining, the team can easily make up ground.
Colts like their chances in wide-open AFC
Surely some AFC teams have better records than others, but none are without flaws or hideous losses. The Titans, who currently have the best record in the AFC, were beaten by the Jets. The second-best team is the Bills, and they dropped a game to the Jaguars. Following are the Ravens, who were just beaten by the Dolphins.
Then, it’s Kansas City, who has had a roller coaster of a season so far sitting at 6-4.
AFC Playoff picture after Week 10 👀 pic.twitter.com/M8KzA86y0B
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) November 15, 2021
This shows that amid Colts’ early-season struggles, no team was able to pull away, and the Colts control a lot of their destiny. So when Reich asks why it can’t be them, it isn’t just head coach jargon. Indianapolis actually has a path to stake its claim among the AFC’s best teams.
As Reich noted, that starts Sunday on the road in Buffalo. Following that, the Colts still have games against the Buccaneers, Patriots, Cardinals, and Raiders. With impressive outings against that level of opponents, Indianapolis will put the AFC and the entire NFL on alert.
The opportunity is there for the Colts to become a top team, but as Frank Reich said, they have to go out and prove it.