Remaining schedule
 

The only team with a winning record is Houston. There is not a game on here that we should not win. 3 straight home games after the bye and only 3 more road games the rest of the season. I see us wining 6-7 of these games. Losing to @Jax and possibly one to either @Houston again or @Titans



10 Nov 11 JAX @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets CBS

11 Nov 18 TEN @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets CBS

12 Nov 25 MIA @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets CBS

13 Dec 02 IND @ JAX TIAA Bank Field 1:00 PM Tickets CBS

14 Dec 09 IND @ HOU NRG Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets CBS

15 Dec 16 DAL @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets FOX

16 Dec 23 NYG @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets TBD

17 Dec 30 IND @ TEN Nissan Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets

We are losing at least 4 of these games. Colts have no defense

Yea. Today was bad.... Hooker was sorely missed today. But I dont see any team that we cant out score.

So you're predicting 11-5 and a division title?

On paper every remaining game is winnable, and in fact we've been in every game this season. However, knowing how young we are overall, and the defense has been up and down, I think it's more likely we split here on out. Though if the offense continues playing the way it has, then we could make a run for the division.

It's possible.....

Won’t win 6 games playing like that

11-5 is possible in the terms of it physically can happen but it is very close to impossible

This isn’t a good team

We could win out.... but more than likely we will lose a few. My post was meant to say that I dont think we beat Jax in Jax but any other game is winnable. No one on that schedule should scare anyone. BUt you are right. We are young so you never know.

Neither are any of the teams left in the schedule. I'd take our offense over any of them though.

We've seen this defense play better than it did today though. They have the ability to. I think we'll see some more solid games from them, but they are young with no depth and still lacking talent in some key areas, so there will be ups and downs. If they can create turnovers, that will be enough with this offense against those crap teams.

They really could lose all but one of these games (I can't see losing to the Giants) OR win every single one of them. The margin is just close with all these games

Its just so hard to say. I thought the Jets game would be a win, was badly wrong.

If the offense plays like it has the last few weeks, 6 or 7 wins are possible.

But the D was terrible today outside one play by Darius Leonard. Dak Prescott or Deshaun Watson could have a good game and put up 40 on this D easily if they keep playing like this. None of the other QBs are great that we face luckily, but the pass D if they can't get a rush on teams is just bad.

BTW. I said 6-7 games we could/should win that is 9-7 or 10-6

I think the D will be better after the bye.

Through 8 games, Colts are +16 point differential. They’re basically playing at a .500-ish clip.

4-4 or 5-3 are the most likely scenario. I’m just excited to watch and (hopefully) see continued growth in several areas.

If the Colts went .500 the rest of the way, wouldn't that be amazing? Yeah, the D is a mess. Ok, it was a dumpster fire yesterday. But the Colts ran the ball. And if you can win the ground game, you can play keep away from the other team. Houston, Tenn, and Jax are flawed team. Jax isn't scaring anyone right now.

It was the O line. They won the game.

No, it’s the most likely outcome given what they have shown. See my post above.

It is a bit funny.

An 8 - 8 record represented two disappointing seasons in years 4 & 5 of the Chuck Pagano error in Indy. When they follow three 11 - 5 seasons in a row, they are a pretty big let down.

However, after the 4 win un-fun that was last season, an 8 - 8 season is just want the doctor ordered for our ailing team.

I really thought that we would get to 10 wins before the season started; mostly because I really thought that the offense we have seen over the past two games was going to be present for the whole season. Obviously, it took time to gel.

Walk Worthy,

trending up is better than trending down.

o



For the most part I agree with this assertion, with the possible exception of the Cowboys and the Texans. I think that the verdict is still out on them as to whether or not they are good teams (or at least above average teams.)


Other than those 2 games, the Colts have no excuse whatsoever to not win any of the other 6 games that remain on their schedule. I'm not saying that they will win all 6 of them, but simply asserting that they are at least as good (if not better) than those 4 teams that they will be playing in said 6 contests.



o

It's astonishing how much more joy I've got from watching this year's team compared to last year's, and the season is just half over.

Thats fantasy football talk. They could go 2-6 with a couple of bad bounces

Likelihood. 4-4 is the most likely. That doesn’t mean 2-6 or 6-2 aren’t possible.

o



In my rat's ass of an opinion, the defense has played surprisingly better than expected for the majority of the season.


I think that they have had only 2 bad games (against the Raiders and the Jaguars.)


Even in the games against the Patriots and the Jets, they played better than what the final scores might indicate ........ they played with some cohesion in the 2nd half against the Patriots to turn what appeared to be a laugher at halftime (24-3) into a competitive game early in the 4th quarter (they got as close as 24-17 before the Patriots' offense regained momentum), and they continually kept the Jets out of the endzone in spite of the offense putting them in bad situations on numerous occasions.


So aside from the those 2 clunkers against the Raiders and the Jaguars, the other 8 games have been (at least) average or better.


o

Disagree with you on the Jets game. The defense let Darnold complete 24/30 passes for nearly 300 yards and really struggled to get off the field. Time of possession was completely lopsided (37 vs 23 min) in favor of the Jets. The offense didn't do the defense any favors with the 4 turnovers, but the defense played poorly enough to lose to one of the worst teams in football.

o



23 of the 42 points that the Jets scored came directly from and/or following turnovers in that game (20 from turnovers, and 3 after the Colts turned the ball over on downs deep in their own territory when they were forced to go for it on 4th down.) That's more than half of their point total for the game.

The Jets also kicked a franchise record 7 field goals in that game, which means that the defense minimized much of the damage that was caused by the offense.


Also, the lopsided time of possession was as much an indictment of the Colts' offense as it was their defense. 5 of the Colts' 8 possessions in the first half consisted of 3 plays or less, and used 5:04 of clock time.


o

The rest of the games are all winnable imo but the Texans will be a tough one & I don't think the Cowboys will be a walk in the park. Their D is very good & it seems they are getting their act together on offense. We will see a heavy dose of Zeke & Prescott is playing better of late. We just can't have another clunker like the Jets game. To me that loss looms larger than not getting a tie against Houston.

Both are huge right now. Being 8-3-1 going into Houston should they beat Miami and Jacksonville instead of 7-5 would give them a shot at the division lead in that game no matter what else happened. Still surprised you guys didn't lambaste Reich for that 4th down decision, but I guess you're in the honeymoon phase.

Coaches don’t matter

Nor do stupid people who intentionally dumb down arguments and completely lose their meaning in the process.

He wasn’t lambasted because it was an understandable decision for an aggressive coach who wants to build a winning mentality.

If you criticize him for that decision, you’d also have to criticize his other aggressive decisions like going for it on other 4th down situations (most of which have been successful) or, most recently, his decision to go for 2 in the third quarter of the JAX game when we were ahead by 14 - a decision which worked and ultimately preserved our 3 point lead at the end of the game, ensuring that JAX could not win by just getting a FG - and probably impacting their decision making on the last pivotal drive.

If the players executed it wouldn’t be an issue.

o



I don't think that those critiques are necessarily mutually inclusive and/or exclusive.

I have made it clear on numerous occasions that I love Reich and the magnificent improvement over the Colts' previous coach (Chuck Pagano) while simultaneously asserting that that specific decision to go for it on 4th down with only 29 seconds left to play in overtime was not prudent, particularly that early in the season when it is (was) not yet clear as to whether or not the team would be vying for a playoff berth.


Being aggressive throughout the first 55 to 59 minutes of a game (and for the first 13 and-a-half-to-14 and-a-half minutes of an overtime period) does not preclude a coach from accepting the reality of a situation in the closing seconds of the 4th quarter (and/or overtime), and making a prudent decision because of that reality.



Overall, I am thrilled with Reich, particularly with the non-predictive nature of the play-calling on offense (which is the antithesis of what we saw during the Pagano regime from 2013 through 2017.)



o

I am equally surprised that you are unable to see that that decision has been crucial in changing what folks refer to as the culture of the team. He showed them who he was and who they will be, a team unafraid of losing. It was huge for the development of the TEAM. I cannot see why you are blind to that. The change in attitude on this team is amazing. It didn't just happen, it was a brilliant move (from the perspective of culture building) by Reich and like everything in life it came with a cost. It is has been well worth it.

If you’re one of the people starting to put W’s next to each week on the remaining schedule, consider that the truth about this team is somewhere between that Titans game and the Jets game. They could win any game...but they could also lose any game. Those kinds of teams very rarely are able to put together a 9-1 or 8-2 run like the Colts would need to make the playoffs.

On a related note, it will be interesting to see what adjustments the divisional opponents make in the second slate of games. I like what Reich has shown so far, but we’ll see if the good defenses in the AFC South can bounce back, especially at home.

Exactly, the game isn’t just stats and fantasy numbers. There is a reason people talk about culture and team building. It isn’t just for sound bytes and quotes in the paper. If anyone has had a good boss and a bad boss, who did you want to work for and why? Did you want to show up for work or show up for a paycheck? You can tell this team is having fun and is confident, believing in themselves. The difference in talent from team to team is not that huge. Guys are of similar weight, speed and strength. A lot of it comes down to discipline, mentality, preparation, and culture.

If they want to make the playoffs they control their destiny, win and things will work themselves out. But it’s not a honeymoon phase, it’s recognizing the coach has a strategy and philosophy and buying into that. Will it always work out? No. They call it the process, but it is simply buying in, working hard and keep working at it and things will turn around. This team bought in, i am fine with sacrificing a tie in order to get there. If their season comes down to one play, they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs yet. And I do t want a team that barely reaches the playoffs, I want a team that reaches the Super Bowl.

6-5. 5 to go..... 10-6 very possible. But I think 11-5 is definitely A possibility


13 Dec 02 IND @ JAX TIAA Bank Field 1:00 PM Tickets CBS

14 Dec 09 IND @ HOU NRG Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets CBS

15 Dec 16 DAL @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets FOX

16 Dec 23 NYG @ IND Lucas Oil Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets TBD

17 Dec 30 IND @ TEN Nissan Stadium 1:00 PM Tickets

How odd that we've already played all our home games against our division rivals. Going to be tough to win in Jacksonville, Houston, and Tennessee, but knowing Luck has done it before, we have a chance.

Agreed. I predicted 8-8 at the beginning of the year and I still think that's most likely....maybe 9-7. I love this team and what they've accomplished. And most of all, I love that they are fun to watch again. However, opponents now have a lot of colts tape that they didn't have in the first 2/3 of the season and our division games + Cowboys will be tough. I think if we make the playoffs it will be as a wildcard. Regardless of what happens there, I will be satisfied. This is/was a rebuilding year and we are ahead of schedule.

All 3 of those road games may be a challenge, and we could end up anywhere from 8-8 to 11-5.

looks like we will be facing kessler, not bortles, next game.