By Sean Gannon

May 7, 2020

The Colts finished the 2019 season 7-9, placing third in the AFC South and look to improve in 2020. They did that by signing Philip Rivers this offseason. An eight-time pro-bowler, Rivers is an improvement over current starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who struggled throughout the season to get a rhythm on offense. Rivers enters with a lot of experience, starting every game since 2006 and now gets to throw behind one of the best offensive lines in football, giving him plenty of time to make adjustments at the line and sit in the pocket without constant pressure. TY Hilton and second round pick, Michael Pittman, are the probable starting receivers for Rivers, and while. Hilton is a great receiver, but the bulk of this positional group is young with little experience, which means the strength of this team is going to be from the run game. Ryan Kelly, Quentin Nelson and Anthony Castonza paved the way for Marlon Mack to rush for over 1,000 yards in 2019 and picking up Jonathan Taylor in the second round as well, gives the Colts a power back, completely different from Mack. The former Wisconsin star rushed for 6,174 yards on 926 carries in his three-year career and clocked in an incredible 4.39 speed at the combine. Having both Taylor and Mack able to run behind this stout offensive line will allow them to run all over teams in similar fashion to their divisional rival, Tennessee Titans. The ability of Mack to catch the ball out of the back field and rush between the tackles combined with Taylor’s ability to carry the ball non-stop, allows this offense to do a lot. This forces opposing defenses to respect their run game and bite on play action passes. The Colts easily have one of the best 1-2 punches in the NFL between Taylor and Mack, with offensive minded head coach Frank Reich, he’s going to find a way to utilize both of his great running backs.

For the Colts to make the playoffs, they’ll have to rely heavily on their offense. The defense has improved this offseason, signing pro-bowl corner Xavier Rhodes and trading for defensive tackle, Deforest Buckner, giving them proven playmakers at their respected positions. Buckner adds much needed pass rush to a team that only had two players with five or more sacks, while Rhodes will be a mentor for both Rock Ya Sin and Kenny Moore, who averaged 69.7% completion and 70% respectively against opposing quarterbacks. Last season, their defense struggled to make big stops at key points in games, a full offseason of training and veteran leadership could make drastic changes for their defense that ranked 18^th in points allowed and 16^th in yards allowed.

The Colts have playmakers on both sides of the ball and a head coach that bring this team together. The veterans added to the team need to step up and lead this young nucleus of players. A split series with the Titans, could mean a divisional crown and playoff appearance for the Colts. Keep an eye out for them in 2020!