Well, somebody had to be last. And in The Athletic’s 2025 “hope-a-meter,” compiled by members of the New York Times’ pro football writers, the dubious honor went to the Indianapolis Colts.
Or rather, to the fans of the Colts. This ranking is designed to gauge how optimistic or pessimistic each NFL club’s fanbase is heading into the 2025 season. If the Athletic staff is right, Cots’ fans may need to triple up on the Zoloft.
But are they right? Should Colts’ fans sink lower in their belief than fans of perennial bottom dwellers or franchises with meddlesome ownership? Are the 2025 Indianapolis Colts really that bad?
Why does one major publication have the Colts fanbase rated as the most depressed?
Let’s begin with a quick peek at how the other half lives. Fans in Denver are rated at the top of the optimism meter entering the season. As if having a potential franchise quarterback in just his second season and possibly the best defense in the entire NFL were such great things.
Yeah, I suppose they are pretty good.
The defending Super Bowl champions rank second, while the rest of the top ten is comprised of teams that went to the playoffs last season. The highest-rated non-playoff team you will find comes in at number 12. That’s where the Chicago Bears are rated.
As for the rest of the AFC South, Houston comes in at number 10, Jacksonville at 17, and Tennessee at 25. I already told you where Indy finished.
But there’s one reason to be just a wee bit optimistic right there. The rest of the division is mediocre at best. Houston is the lowest-rated of any defending division champ – the other seven actually take spots 2-8 – and the remainder of the division all fall below the mean.
But I suppose that doesn’t really matter if you are seriously down on your own team.
However, the logic used by the Athletic doesn’t quite fit. They admit, begrudgingly, that there are some very good pieces across the roster. The pessimism comes from two sources.
No one seems excited about the quarterback and no one believes the coach can turn things around.
I grant you, those are two pretty good reasons to be downcast. Maybe the two best reasons possible. If you genuinely believe that Daniel Jones is garbage and that Shane Steichen is in way over his head, then, yes, maybe you see nothing but doom and gloom for the Colts.
But you can talk yourself into a different reality, especially when it comes to the QB.
Daniel Jones has never played with good offensive talent. In Indianapolis, he will have at least three receivers – four, if you include rookie tight end Tyler Warren – as good as anyone he played with in New York, excepting for his one partial season with Malik Nabers.
Even with a couple of lingering question marks, his offensive line will be better – much better – than the one that “protected” him with the Giants. He has Jonathan Taylor to ease his load. Those are weapons, and Jones could be a candidate to have a Sam Darnold-style rejuvenation in Indy this season.
The Steichen issue is more difficult to wish away. He has not been a train wreck as head coach, but has he done anything to instill confidence? It’s hard to find much to believe in. Maybe the decision to go with Jones over Anthony Richardson is a sign of maturity. Steichen was tied to AR5 and he had to know he would catch heat for abandoning him.
But that is water under the bridge. It is undeniable that Steichen, along with his coaches and the Colts’ management team, blew the Richardson pick. They over-drafted him and then had no plan to actually develop the very raw talent.
If Steichen has grown, maybe he can do better with a new, more experienced QB. The book remains open on that question.
But for Colts’ fans, would you really rather be rooting for the Saints or the Browns at this point? They finished 31st and 29th respectively.
At 30 – the Dallas Cowboys, a club with a decent amount of talent and an owner determined to destroy his franchise rather than admitting he is wrong about anything.
I mean, really. As a Colts’ fan, would you be more or less depressed about the team if Chris Ballard traded Quenton Nelson for a couple draft picks and then told you Indy was a better team as a result? After all, there’s a shelf life on delusional belief.
If none of that makes you feel better, then get angry. Use the dis as motivation. Double down in your belief, and then don’t let anyone forget it when your team exceeds expectations. It beats wallowing in self-pity, doesn’t it?