Colts have the perfect schedule to make a run in the second half of the season

The Indianapolis Colts have already exceeded the expectations that were put on them for the season. After winning just four games in 2022, this season wasn’t expected to be much different— especially since Indy entered the year with a first-year head coach and a rookie quarterback. However, after 10 weeks, the Colts have already surpassed last season’s win total, entering their bye week with a 5-5 record.

As showcased by the .500 record, Indianapolis has had a ton of ups and downs. Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson started the year promising, but sustained a season-ending shoulder injury. While dealing with several other injuries as a team, Indy has struggled defensively and struggled to protect the ball offensively. However, the offense has been one of the top units in the league, and Indy has been competitive in every game.

With seven games remaining, all of Indy’s goals are still attainable. The team is currently third in the AFC South, slightly behind the 5-4 Houston Texans who Indy has already beat once and still has to play again. The Jacksonville Jaguars lead the division with a 6-3 record and since they swept Indy, it’ll be hard for the Colts to jump them and win the division.

Still, the Colts are very much alive in the playoff race, and considering the team’s remaining schedule, they should be in the race until the end of the season— and may actually make the postseason.

Easy remaining schedule should keep Colts in playoff race

Currently, Indianapolis has the 13th-easiest remaining schedule— that’s determined by the combined winning percentage of Indy’s remaining opponents. Of the final seven opponents, only three currently have a winning record. Here’s a look at the Colts’ remaining schedule and the record of each opponent.

• vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
• at Tennessee Titans (3-6)
• at Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
• vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)
• at Atlanta Falcons (4-6)
• vs. Las Vegas Raiders (5-5)
• vs. Houston Texans (5-4)

As you can see, there are a lot of winnable games. The three teams with winning records are the Cincinnati Bengals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Houston Texans. While Cincinnati is good, the team has been vulnerable this season. Houston is currently playing really well but the Colts already beat them and they’re equipped to do it again.

Then, the Steelers, who are one of the weirdest 6-3 teams in the history of the NFL. They are the first team to be out-gained in each of their first nine games but still have a winning record. So while teams are consistently gaining more yards than them, they aren’t scoring more points.

Even the toughest remaining opponents are winnable games. However, this doesn’t mean that the Colts will return from the bye week and rip off seven straight wins. While that’s possible, what’s most likely is that Indy wins the majority of the final seven games, finish with a winning record, and have a chance to make the postseason.

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