The Indianapolis Colts are still sitting on top of the AFC South, but have fallen behind in the overall playoff picture. While the Colts previously held the best record, they've been overtaken by the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots — and the toughest part of their schedule is still ahead.
Their next game is against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Both teams have been struggling lately, but the Chiefs have a legacy behind them. They have Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce; Mahomes, in particular, is known for his ability to find a way to win, no matter how bad it looks.
The Colts don't have that reputation... not yet, anyway. Jonathan Taylor is having a monster season, Daniel Jones is much better than ever before in his career, and Tyler Warren has a good shot at being named Offensive Rookie of the Year, and yet everyone still underestimates Indianapolis. But according to Michael Pittman, Jr., that doesn't bother them.
Michael Pittman Jr. says the Indianapolis Colts are thriving as underdogs
According to the Indianapolis Star, Pittman said he isn't bothered by the doubters, who still don't see the Colts as a legitimate contender.
“I would personally rather people underestimate us, just because it gives us that edge. For whatever reason, people don’t want to believe,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, there were experts telling us we were only going to win three games, and we saw that. We saw all that talk about how, ‘Danny Dimes can’t do this or can’t do that,’ and ‘This offense can’t do this, blah, blah, blah.’ We haven’t paid attention to it."
Pittman added that he's well aware of the battle they still face with the Chiefs, along with the rest of their schedule, but that they aren't giving up by any means. Instead, they're letting it fuel them. And they won't make the mistake of underestimating their opponents.
“We’ve gotta know that our work isn’t done. Yeah, we’re sitting at 8-2, but we still have a lot of good teams out in front of us,” he continued. “Any time you play the Chiefs, they always play tough. Just knowing we have to go there and play in one of the most hostile environments in all of football – their fans do a really great job of showing up and being loud – you can never take them lightly because they have so much talent, and their record doesn’t tell the full story."
This is a crucial game for the Colts. Yes, they are still guaranteed a playoff spot in the standings right now, but getting that No. 1 seed would make a huge difference in the postseason. And it says a lot that, despite having a far superior season and a better record, it's still the Colts who are seen as the underdogs heading into Kansas City.
It's not all that surprising; the Colts have had doubters and haters eager to say that their success so far is nothing more than a combination of luck and having an easy schedule early on. There's not much credit being given to Indy for how well they've actually been doing.
Defeating the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium would send a huge message. If they walk away with a win, there won't be any more excuses for why the Colts have been so dominant, and the league might finally start taking this team seriously.