Indianapolis Colts 2016-17 NFL Team Preview

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2016-2017 Indianapolis Colts Team Preview

Key Additions: RB Robert Turbin, RB Jordan Todman, CB Patrick Robinson

Key Subtractions: TE Coby Fleener, ILB Jerrell Freeman, S Dwight Lowery

Strengths

Last season was a rough one for the Indianapolis Colts, who stumbled their way to a subpar 8-8 record and appeared to be completely lost without star quarterback Andrew Luck at the top of his game.

Luck is finally healthy this season and appears primed for a massive bounce-back campaign after starting just seven games the previous season. He’ll once again have a robust platoon of wideouts at his disposal consisting of the electric T.Y. Hilton (a 1,000-yard receiver last season) and seven-time Pro Bowl selection Andre Johnson, plus a couple of young downfield threats in Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett.

Indy appears to have upgraded its leaky offensive line from last year as well by drafting a couple of promising front-liners in ‘Bama standout center Ryan Kelly from the first round, and third-round pick Le’Raven Clark from Texas Tech. If the O-line has indeed improved significantly, Luck and the Colts’ aerial assault could very well be unstoppable once more.

Weaknesses

Is Frank Gore really the best solution that the Colts have in the running game? Gore, now 33 years of age, failed to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in five seasons last year, clearly showing the wear and tear on the once indomitable power-runner.

Gore isn’t the only Indy player who’s entering the twilight of his career, as defensive anchors Robert Mathis (35) and Trent Cole (33) also have weathered bodies at this point in their respective careers. Having two aging defensive stalwarts as the backbone of the defense is not a good sign for the Colts, especially since they’ve done virtually close to nothing to improve their D this offseason.

The defense doesn’t even look to have a Pro Bowl-worthy member in its roster apart from cornerback Vontae Davis this year, and even Davis himself had a relatively meager outing last season because he was doing nearly all the dirty work in the Colts’ secondary.

Key Player – Andrew Luck

Now more than ever, the Colts need Andrew Luck to play the best football of his life, especially after granting him a six-year, $140 million contract this June – the most lucrative contract in NFL history. The team clearly still has full confidence in its first-overall pick from 2012 despite playing only half a season last year. They know that a franchise QB of Luck’s caliber is so hard to find these days.

As with what we’ve seen for the last four seasons, Indianapolis lives and dies with it’s elite signal-caller. Luck has thrown for no less than 3,800 yards and 23 touchdowns in each of his seasons in the NFL except for the previous one where he was all banged up, and he’ll need to post such gaudy numbers again this season to prove that he earned every bit of his massive contract extension and that his injury woes are well behind him already.

Key Game – at Houston (October 16)

Another reason why the Colts have had success with Luck at the helm is because they’ve done a good job of outplaying the weak AFC South field. However, the Jaguars, Titans and Texans have all made some big moves this offseason, whereas Indianapolis basically kept last year’s middling roster intact and just basically went all in to re-sign Luck.

The Colts’ lack of offseason movement will be put the ultimate test when they take on the Houston Texans in Week 6. Houston has been the most competitive division rival that Indy has faced for quite some time now, and the boys from the Lone Star State even have what looks like a much-improved offense now with the signing of quarterback Brock Osweiler and running back Lamar Miller to complement their already stout D.

Will the sheer firepower of the Colts be enough to overcome the well-balanced Texans lineup? We’ll have to wait until mid-October to find out, and what a divisional clash that’s going to be.

2015 Team Stats:

Category | Stat (Rank)
Points per game | 20.8 (#24)
Passing yards per game | 231.5 (#22)
Rushing Yards per game | 89.9 (#29)
Scoring Defense | 25.5 (#25)

Writer’s Prediction

The Colts, who are the current favorites at +150 to win the AFC South this season, fail to represent the division in the playoffs. In turn, they miss out on the playoffs for the second-consecutive year as well.

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