The Indianapolis Colts are not going to get much respect for a while from NFL pundits overall, and that is a good thing. Every team needs to be extra-inspired to reach a level of greatness. Indy should be influenced by the hate they receive.
Many doubted that quarterback Daniel Jones could ever be good. He had failed with the New York Giants, and if you fail in New York, you can fail everywhere. So far in Indy, Jones is proving that theory incorrect. He has a passer rating of 111, and he has earned every bit of that.
Thankfully, FanSided's most recent power ranking reflects that Indy is seemingly a good team. After Week 1, the Colts still had a lot of doubters and ranked 22nd in the power rankings. No longer. After Week 2's last-minute victory against the Denver Broncos, Indy jumps to number nine.
The Indianapolis Colts rise in FanSided's latest power rankings
NFL Spin Zone's Sayre Bedinger wrote, "Whether or not the Colts got lucky to win (Week 2) doesn’t matter. When you put up that kind of offensive output against the No. 1 defense in the league going into the week, you’ve proven you’re for real."
The odd part is that even though the Indianapolis Colts are 2-0, it doesn't feel like they have played their best football. In Week 1, Indy played an atrocious Miami Dolphins team. In Week 2, the Colts beat a good Broncos team. Yet, Indy could have played better and smarter against Denver and still won the game.
Moreover, Indy could be about to make a run. Next is the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, and Tennessee is not that good. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward is probably going to be quite good, but the team around him isn't wonderful.
In Week 4, Indianapolis does travel again to play a tough Los Angeles Rams team, but LA isn't perfect. If Daniel Jones is on point, Indy could steal the game. Then, the Colts return home to play a Las Vegas Raiders team still finding its way with a lot of new parts.
None of this is meant to jinx the Indianapolis Colts or guarantee wins, but the team's Week 2 victory over the Denver Broncos is bigger than it seems. Indy is gaining confidence on every level, and Daniel Jones is getting better. Indy is a dangerous team, and a number nine ranking in FanSided's power rankings might be the lowest Indy will rank for a while.