The Colts bring in new offensive weapons to go along with a dominant offensive line, will it push them into playoff contention in 2020?
Last year, the Colts had to deal with the aftermath of the sudden Andrew Luck retirement. Despite losing their franchise QB seemingly out of nowhere, the Colts played well early in the season. They even beat the Super Bowl champs on the road early in the season.
Down the stretch they struggled, finishing 1-5 in their final 6 games. Offensively they needed a boost that could help them be a threat in the AFC South.
In comes Phillip Rivers. The long-time Chargers QB has found his new home in Indianapolis and looks to salvage the final years of his career. Rivers has had a borderline hall of fame career, but struggled with turnovers in 2019. They also brought in DeForest Buckner to go alongside Justin Houston and make some noise on the defensive line.
The biggest factor for this Indianapolis team could potentially be their 41st pick in the draft in Jonathan Taylor. Taylor was one of the greatest running back’s in college history. He left Wisconsin with the 6th most rushing yards in NCAA history (6,174) in just 3 seasons.
If Taylor can put up similar production in Indy, he can have an Ezekiel Elliott-like impact in year 1 with the Colts.
Let’s take a deeper look at the Colts 2019 season, 2020 offseason, and what lies ahead in 2020.
2019 Team Ranks
| Total Offense | 25th (5238 yards) |
| Passing Offense | 30th (3108 yards) |
| Rushing Offense | 7th (2130 yards) |
| Total Defense | 16th (5549 yards allowed) |
| Passing Defense | 23rd (3982 yards allowed) |
| Rushing Defense | 7th (1567 yards allowed) |
| PPG | 22.6 |
| PPG Allowed | 23.3 |
| Offensive Line Ranks | |
| PFF | 3rd |
| Football Outsiders (Run Block) | 12th |
| Football Outsiders (Pass Block) | 7th |
Coaching Staff Changes
| Mike Groh replaces Kevin Patullo as WR Coach |
| Brian Baker replaces Mike Phair as DL Coach |
Offseason Additions
| DeForest Buckner DT |
| Phillip Rivers QB |
| Xavier Rhodes CB |
| Sheldon Day DT |
| Travis Carrie CB |
| Roosevelt Nix FB |
| Trey Burton TE |
Offseason Losses
| Eric Ebron TE |
| Pierre Desir CB |
| Devin Funchess WR |
| Quincy Wilson CB |
| Joe Haeg OT |
| Brian Hoyer QB |
| Josh Andrews C |
| Trevon Coley DT |
| Margus Hunt DE |
2020 NFL Draft
| Round 2 (34) – Michael Pittman WR USC |
| Round 2 (41) – Jonathan Taylor RB Wisconsin |
| Round 3 (85) – Julian Blackmon S Utah |
| Round 4 (122) – Jacob Eason QB Washington |
| Round 5 (149) – Danny Pinter G Ball State |
| Round 6 (193) – Rob Windsor DT Penn State |
| Round 6 (211) – Isaiah Rodgers CB Massachusetts |
| Round 6 (212) – Dezmon Patmon WR Washington State |
| Round 6 (213) – Jordan Glasgow LB Michigan |
2020 Schedule with record vs opponents since 2017
| Week 1 – at Jacksonville Jaguars 1 PM ET CBS | 2-4 |
| Week 2 – vs Minnesota Vikings 1 PM ET FOX | 0-0 |
| Week 3 – vs New York Jets 4:05 PM ET CBS | 0-1 |
| Week 4 – at Chicago Bears 1 PM ET CBS | 0-0 |
| Week 5 – at Cleveland Browns 4:25 PM ET CBS | 1-0 |
| Week 6 – vs Cincinnati Bengals 1 PM ET FOX | 0-2 |
| Week 7 – BYE | |
| Week 8 – at Detroit Lions 1 PM ET CBS | 0-0 |
| Week 9 – vs Baltimore Ravens 1 PM ET CBS | 0-1 |
| Week 10 – at Tennessee Titans 8:20 PM ET FOX (TNF) | 3-3 |
| Week 11 – vs Green Bay Packers 1 PM ET FOX | 0-0 |
| Week 12 – vs Tennessee Titans 1 PM ET CBS | 3-3 |
| Week 13 – at Houston Texans 1 PM ET CBS | 5-2 |
| Week 14 – at Las Vegas Raiders 4:05 PM ET CBS | 1-1 |
| Week 15 – vs Houston Texans TBD | 5-2 |
| Week 16 – at Pittsburgh Steelers 1 PM ET CBS | 0-2 |
| Week 17 – vs Jacksonville Jaguars 1 PM ET CBS | 2-4 |
Miscellaneous Notes
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Jonathan Taylor is coming into the league off back to back 2000+ rushing yard seasons at Wisconsin
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| IND had the fewest amount of penalties in 2019 (79) |
| 2019 Offense Play Selection |
| Pass – 53.6% |
| Rush – 46.4% |
| PFF Top 5 Graded Players in 2019 |
| 1. Quenton Nelson LG 91.2 |
| 2. Justin Houston LB 87.1 |
| 3. DeForest Buckner DT 81.4 |
| 4. Anthony Castonzo LT 81.3 |
| 5. Braden Smith RT 79.8 |
| Players who opted out of 2020 season |
| Skai Moore WLB |
| Rolan Milligan SS |
| Marvell Tell III CB |
Burning Question: Will Phillip Rivers be able to limit his turnovers?
Bottom Line:
This is a team that will be battling for a playoff spot late in December. All around they are a very solid team with their strength being in the trenches. That alone is good for 7 wins. If the new additions step up in a big way, that will be good enough to make a nice postseason run. Jonathan Taylor behind this offensive line has unreal potential. We will see if the Colts have enough trust to make him a 3 down back.
Phillip Rivers has a nice receiving corps to work with in TY Hilton and Michael Pittman. Putting up yards won’t be a question with Rivers, he has shown he can do that year in and year out. Limiting turnovers is a huge factor, and if he can do that they have success.
The defense is a solid unit, with Darius Leonard leading the way on a good front 7. The secondary does have some question marks. After ranking 23rd in pass yards allowed, they brought in Xavier Rhodes. Rhodes was a lock down corner at his peak, but got burned in many games last season.
Malik Hooker will be another player to watch, as he has struggled to stay healthy during his 3 years in Indy. This will be the year he needs to make a statement in order to secure a nice contract in 2021.
I believe the Colts are closer to 9 wins than they are 7, but according to my projections they will miss the playoffs due to a tiebreaker.
Predicted Win Range: 7-9
