Colts face uphill battle in latest AFC South projection
· Yahoo Sports
The Indianapolis Colts are angling to regain their piping-hot play that briefly made them one of the AFC’s top teams last season.
A notable projection model isn't buying it.
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In The Athletic’s AFC win projections, the Colts finish below .500 and behind the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South. Houston is the model’s division favorite, while Jacksonville was credited with having the AFC South’s highest potential.
Indianapolis looked like a legitimate contender before Daniel Jones’ injury changed the direction of its season. The Athletic noted the historic pace the Colts' offense operated at, as the team had become the betting favorite for the AFC’s No. 1 seed before Jones went down.
Jones has since returned from his Achilles injury, but The Athletic remains unconvinced that his 2025 performance represented a permanent career breakthrough.
The outlet also felt uneasy about Indianapolis’ defense, particularly a front seven that could struggle to generate enough pressure.
The prediction model stopped short of writing off the Colts completely, acknowledging that their early-season offensive triumphs give them a way to outperform the model.
With Jones back under center, Indianapolis is pressing ahead with its 2026 plans.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts face uphill battle in latest AFC South projection