Sports can be weird sometimes and the strangest teams can have your favorite team's number. Let's take a look at the five teams that the Indianapolis Colts have struggled against the most in the NFL, according to Pro Football Reference.
5. Carolina Panthers
- Record: 3-5
- Winning Percentage: .375
Kicking off our list is the Panthers, who the Colts own a .375 winning percentage against and have only won three games against in eight tries. The Panthers entered the league in 1995 and the Colts went 0-3 against them in their first three match-ups. It took them until 2007 to record their first win against them.
With that being said, the Colts have gone 3-2 against the Panthers since their rough start against one of the NFL's expansion teams. They're also riding a two-game win streak against Carolina, winning the last two match-ups by double-digit points including a 27-13 victory in 2023.
T3. Los Angeles Chargers
- Record: 10-18
- Winning Percentage: .357
Tied for the third spot on the list of teams the Colts have performed poorly against is the Chargers, who Indy owns a .357 winning percentage against. Even with Peyton Manning onboard, the Colts still have struggled against the Chargers, who have gone 18-10 against Indy.
The Colts have lost two straight games to the Chargers and the most recent loss, which came in 2022, was a blowout loss that saw Indy lose 20 to 3. They're also 1-2 against the Chargers in the playoffs with the one win coming before Manning was in the NFL.
T3. New Orleans Saints
- Record: 5-9
- Winning Percentage: .357
Next up on the list is the Saints, who the Colts are 5-9 against. The most notable loss that unfortunately still sticks with Colts fans is Super Bowl XLIV where NOLA persevered over the Colts by a score of 31 to 17.
Since that loss to New Orleans in Super Bow XLIV, the Colts have failed to win a game against the Saints so not only was it bad because they failed to win another Super Bowl but they're on a five-game losing streak to New Orleans. The most recent loss came in 2023 when the Saints won 38 to 27.
2. Dallas Cowboys
- Record: 6-11
- Winning Percentage: .353
The team that the Colts have had the second-worst luck against is the Cowboys, who they hold a .353 winning percentage against and have gone 6-11 in 17 regular season games. The two have met up in the playoffs once, which was in 1971 when the Colts won Super Bowl V, so that puts them at 7-11 against the Cowboys all-time.
The Colts have really struggled against Dallas over the last two decades, winning just one game against them during that time. They blanked the 'Boys 23 to 0 in 2018 but otherwise, it's been all Dallas in the rest of the match-ups. The most recent battle came in 2022 when Dallas prevailed mightily with a 54 to 19 curb stomping of the Colts.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Record: 7-21
- Winning Percentage: .250
The team that has had the most success against Indianapolis is the Steelers, who the Colts own a mere .250 winning percentage against and have just seven victories in head-to-head match-ups. Colts fans should be glad that the postseason isn't worked into these numbers, as they've never won a playoff game against the Steelers, going 0-5 in the playoff head-to-head match-ups.
Indy had been riding an eight-game losing streak to Pittsburgh until 2023 when they won 30 to 13. That snapped a losing streak that began in 2011. For whatever reason, it appears that the Steelers simply have the Colts' number and it's going to take a long time before Indianapolis can make this head-to-head record look a little more respectable.