The Colts once again found themselves in the playoffs led by a mix of new and familiar faces. How did their 2020 season unfold?
2020 record: 11-5
- Division record: 4-2
- Record against teams with winning records: 2-5 (playoffs included)
After a disappointing Week 1 loss to Jacksonville, the Colts locked in and had a really solid 2020 season. Their best win coming in Week 11 against league MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
This comeback season was led by some major offseason additions including: DeForest Buckner, Phillip Rivers, and Jonathan Taylor. All 3 of them stepped in and were instant contributors from day one.
Adding these guys to a core of Darius Leonard, Quenton Nelson, and TY Hilton had Indy ready to step back into an 11 win playoff season.
Team Ranks:
| Total Offense | 10th (6049 yards) |
| Passing Offense | 11th (4053 yards) |
| Rushing Offense | 11th (1996 yards) |
| Total Defense | 8th (5314 yards allowed) |
| Passing Defense | 20th (3866 yards allowed) |
| Rushing Defense | 2nd (1448 yards allowed) |
| PPG | 9th (28.2) |
| PPG Allowed | 10th (22.6) |
| Offensive Line Ranks | |
| PFF | 7th |
| Football Outsiders (Adjusted run yards) | 20th (4.23) |
| Football Outsiders (Adjusted sack rate) | 7th (5.2%) |
| 2020 Offense Play Selection |
| Pass – 55.5% |
| Rush – 44.5% |
| PFF Top 5 Graded Players in 2020 |
| 1. DeForest Buckner DT (89.6) |
| 2. Quenton Nelson G (87.5) |
| 3. Nyheim Hines RB (82.4) |
| 4. Mo Allie-Cox TE (80.9) |
| 5. Jonathan Taylor RB (80.7) |
Leading Passer: Phillip Rivers
- 4,169 passing yards
- 24 touchdowns
- 11 interceptions
Leading Rusher: Jonathan Taylor
- 1,169 rushing yards
- 11 rushing touchdowns
- 5.0 YPC
Leading Receiver: T.Y. Hilton
- 762 receiving yards
- 5 touchdowns
- 13.6 YPR
Defensive MVP: DeForest Buckner
- 9.5 sacks
- 31 QB Pressures
- 2 forced fumbles
What doomed them in the playoffs?
Missed opportunities. Having to face the high powered Bills offense in round one is a tough task. But, the Colts were up to this task and had a really solid showing in Buffalo. They rallied from a 24-10 deficit to be in position to tie or win the game with 2:30 left in the game.
Their final drive would come up short at the Buffalo 47 yard line, but there were other chances that the Colts fumbled to swing momentum in this game. A major one coming with under 2 minutes in the first half as the Colts had the ball up 10-7 at the Bills’ 4 yard line.
Frank Reich rolled the dice and went for a 4th down conversion rather than taking the field goal. The Colts would fail to convert, and then allow the Bills to take the ball 96 yards the other way for a touchdown.
This first half shifted from a potential 17-7 Colts lead to a 14-10 Bills lead in just a minute and 50 seconds.
Story of the season: Winning in the trenches
There is a reason that the Indianapolis Colts have made the playoffs two times in the past three years despite all the QB uncertainty. And that reason is the efforts made by Chris Ballard to build up the offensive line and the front 7 on defense.
This Colts team has tremendous talent inside the trenches and will win games with physicality. We know about Nelson and Leonard, but there are plenty of unsung players on this roster including: Ryan Kelly, Anthony Castonzo, Denico Autry, and Bobby Okereke.
All of these guys play their role very well and in turn allow the Colts to run the ball effectively, stop the run on the opposite side, and rush the QB.
