The Indianapolis Colts suffered an epic collapse in 2025 that fans are all too aware of. The team started 7-1, and entering Week 18 is 8-8. The team hasn't won since the Week 11 bye week. That is six straight losses that will likely turn into seven against the Houston Texans.
Indy joined a group of only five other teams that began 7-1 and missed the playoffs since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. No team had done that since the league went to a 17-game schedule in 2021.
Injuries played an obvious role in the team falling apart, but not all of the recent failures can be blamed on that. After all, other teams have seen a vast number of injuries and overcome them. The San Francisco 49ers lost quarterback Brock Purdy for eight games and went 5-3 in that span.
San Francisco also lost superstar edge rusher Nick Bosa and future Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Fred Warner during the season, too. Yet, the 49ers are one victory away from being the top seed in the NFC.
Jonathan Taylor breaks down the Indianapolis Colts' failures perfectly
Great teams and organizations continue to win and overcome when obstacles get in the way. The Colts have not been able to do that in a decade. Running back Jonathan Taylor knows it as well.
Taylor told the media after the game, "Obviously, when you go lose five, six in a row, you start looking at, 'Hey, OK, we have to be better.' I mean, good teams don't lose five, six in a row...It's those one or two, three or four plays that those great teams they make. They find a way."
Clearly, Taylor understands that injuries aren't the reason the team began losing. He believes in his teammates, even those who were suddenly thrust into starting roles. Every player in the NFL is getting paid to do a job and is expected to perform close to the level of the player in front of them on the depth chart. Otherwise, they wouldn't be on the team.
The Colts might have simply looked better early in the season against a bunch of teams that weren't very good. Indianapolis took advantage of that easier schedule as any team should, but when the competition got tougher, Indy couldn't sustain the same level of success.
It is important to note that Indy's struggles began before quarterback Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon. He was playing with a fractured fibula, and that limited him, but the team still believed he could win games. Jones was simply less efficient against a run of better defenses.
Injuries only compounded what were already issues for the Indianapolis Colts, and Jonathan Taylor knows it. Great teams find a way to succeed, as Taylor said, and Indianapolis simply wasn't a great team. Whether it can be in 2026 is unknown, but fans have a right to be skeptical.