Many NFL analysts don't seem to give the Indianapolis Colts much of a chance to make the playoffs this coming season. Some of the reason for that is grounded in the fact that Indy can't seem to stop going 9-8 or 8-9 every season. Mediocrity is often the most difficult spot to remove oneself from.
But those records also mean that the Colts are just a few plays from being quite good (and, yes, a few plays from being quite bad), and the team has made seemingly solid moves over the last year, such as trading for cornerback Sauce Gardner, that could improve the chances the team makes the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com thinks Indianapolis could right the proverbial ship this coming season. The writer gives the Colts the third-best odds of making the postseason among teams that haven't made the playoffs in a while.
Indianapolis Colts fans have good reasons to be optimistic about the 2026 season
Bergman writes, "A lighter back half of the schedule gives Indy a break after last year's second-half collapse (seven straight losses after an 8-2 start). But as with the first three seasons of the Shane Steichen era, there is always the possibility that the Colts once again won't get over the hump."
While that last bit isn't overly hopeful, Indy fans should feel pretty good about the upcoming season. For one, the team has to overcome the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans to likely get to the postseason, and definitely to win the AFC South for the first time since 2014. The Jags, however, seem worse after losing free agents Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd.
Indianapolis will also have Sauce Gardner for a full season, whereas last season, he was only around for the last half. He got hurt, though, just as many other key starters did in the second half of the year, and the team was a shell of what it could be.
General manager Chris Ballard also likely drafted well at defensive positions of need. CJ Allen should be a huge upgrade at inside linebacker, and A.J. Haulcy could be the same at safety over the outgoing Nick Cross, especially in coverage.
While every underperforming NFL team's fanbase may feel as if they have hope in a new season, Indianapolis Colts fans absolutely have a reason to believe. The team began 7-1 last season, and that wasn't a lie. Getting to 10 or 11 wins is a real possibility, just as making the playoffs in 2026 is.
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