Dunlevy: Luck and Colts, Actually Good?
At 6-3, the Colts aren't as bad as we expected. Still, Nate Dunlevy writes, whether they're a good team or not doesn't matter: they'll be making the playoffs this year. For further proof, ask the rest of the AFC. Remember Miami, a wildcard team two weeks ago? With losses to the Colts and Titans, they're now 4-5, and almost guaranteed an extended off-season.
They play in a conference devoid of quality football teams. Losses by the Dolphins and Chargers over the weekend only further the case that Indianapolis is playoff-bound almost by default. At this rate, the Colts likely only need nine wins, and possibly as few as eight, to earn a postseason berth.
Still, do they have a shot? We'll probably see next week, when they play New England in Foxborough, one of the trickiest venues in the league. Granted, they're still banged up (Powers out for the year, along with Nevis) ... but their offense is getting better, their defense is tightening up. If they're able to make a game of it on Sunday, it'll prove that they're 'for real' this year; if not, perhaps their critics are right.
Anyway, I'm finding 6-3 hard to complain about.
The Colts will make the playoffs, but they'll get destroyed by New Englad this weekend. Tom Brady will carve up the 2nd & 3rd stringers that are all of the Colts defense. However, the Colts are still better than the Chiefs and Titans, who are still left on the Colts' schedule. Throw in the Texans in week 17, who will most likely have wrapped up a top-2 seed in AFC by then, and the Colts will have their 9 wins.
I pray to God Butler (meaning I pray to God about Butler, not to the God of Butlers, who I do not pray to) wasn't a one game wonder like Vaughn. We need a decent CB opposite Davis (and he needs to stay on the damn field, knock on wood, not that it's his fault necessarily).
