There are two things that are happening in Indiana that are quite scary. One is real, and one isn't (one hopes). Still, the Indianapolis Colts' 2025 season might be about to go into the upside down, and, as all fans of Indiana-set Stranger Things know, that is rarely a good thing.
Things started well enough for the Colts this season, just as every season of Stranger Things starts as well. But lately, bad things have begun happening, and Indianapolis needs its Eleven (literally and just like the character) to step up against some upcoming competition that won't be easy.
Or maybe Indy's El already exists in the person of running back Jonathan Taylor. Head coach Shane Steichen simply needs to get back to giving him the ball a lot.
Indianapolis Colts need to avoid becoming an episode of Stranger Things
Entering the team's bye week, Indianapolis was in first place of the AFC South by two games, sitting at 8-2 and battling for a potential first-round bye in the playoffs. A game after the bye week, and the Colts are now 8-3 and staring up at the top of the conference while the teams below are beginning to catch them and bring them down.
Indianapolis should have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12, but it didn't. Instead, the Colts squandered a 20-9 lead and allowed Patrick Mahomes to steal his team a 23-20 victory in overtime.
The rest of the schedule gets no easier. The Houston Texans have a brilliant defense and have won four of their last five games. Plus, quarterback CJ Stroud should be returning in Week 13 when Houston travels to play the Colts. They trail Indy by two games in the division, and have two chances to chip away at the lead.
Following Houston, the Indianapolis Colts take on another AFC South rival, the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags trail Indy by just one game, and the teams meet twice the rest of the season.
Indianapolis also faces two good NFC West teams, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, so there isn't one game in the final six that is expected to be easier for Indianapolis. Unless quarterback Daniel Jones begins playing as he did through the first eight games, the Colts could be looking at a struggle to make the postseason this season.
Or maybe, just as every season for Stranger Things ends, the skies will clear, and happiness will be the new normal. The Indianapolis Colts could make the playoffs and then make a deep run once there.