Coming in at the 10 spot in the 2020 Student Union Sports NFL power rankings is the Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis is a city with high expectations for its football team. They were thought to be real Super Bowl contenders last season until Andrew Luck shocked the nation by retiring in the middle of the preseason. After the Jacoby Brissett experiment didn’t work out as well as everyone hoped, the new look Indianapolis Colts are ready to get back to Super Bowl contender form.
Returning Starters
Offense: 8
Defense: 6
Key Additions
Free agency:
Philip Rivers
With unsteady play from Jacoby Brissett last season, the quarterback position needed to be addressed in the offseason one way or another. There were heavy rumors that the Colts would draft Utah State quarterback Jordan Love but they went ahead and took care of the position early in the offseason by signing veteran quarterback Phillip Rivers to a one year $25 million deal. Rivers has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league for the last decade but showed signs of slowing down during his final season with the Chargers. Rivers paired with the best offensive line in the league along with the many weapons who make up the Indy offense should be a match made in heaven.
DeForest Buckner
Well, this wasn’t really a free agency addition but the Deforest Buckner trade was the biggest move GM Chris Ballard made this offseason. Ballard traded the 13th overall pick in the draft to San Francisco and then immediately locked up Buckner on a five-year deal. The Colts desperately needed more pressure coming from the d-line and they got it with Buckner. Buckner is arguably the second-best DT in the league, behind Aaron Donald, and has 26.5 sacks in his first four seasons along with at least 61 tackles in each of those seasons. Buckner will be a force on the d-line and will only add to the Colts legacy of superstar pass rushers.
Draft
Michael Pittman Jr
Wide receiver was another glaring hole on the Indy roster going into 2020 and was a position everyone anticipated to be addressed in the draft. With their first-round pick going to San Francisco for DeForest Buckner, Chris Ballard and company weren’t on the clock until day two of the draft. Pittman, a first-round talent, slid due to a very talented wide receiver class. During Pittman’s time at USC, he only dropped four passes and emerged as one of the premier wideouts in the PAC-12. Being paired with TY Hilton should be great for his development and having a guy like Phillip Rivers throwing him the ball doesn’t hurt either.
Jonathan Taylor
This draft pick came as a surprise to just about everyone. Marlon Mack is coming off of a breakout year in 2019 making running back a position of strength. When the Colts traded up in the second round everyone anticipated it would be for Jalen Hurts and to everyone’s surprise, it was for Wisconsin Running back Jonathan Taylor. In three seasons at Wisconsin, Taylor ran for almost 6,200 yards and 50 touchdowns! Averaging 6.7 yards a carry, he is arguably a top-three running back in college football history. Having Taylor partner with Marlon Mack in the Indy backfield running behind the best o-line in the league is an opposing defenses worst nightmare.
Season Outlook
On paper, this Colts team should be very good. They have a veteran quarterback in Phillip Rivers, two prolific running backs, the best o-line in the game, TY Hilton, and an array of other young receivers. Their defense is improving rapidly and the additions of Sheldon Day, DeForest Buckner, and Xavier Rhodes bolster a unit that was mediocre at best last season.
The first issue with the Colts is Phillip Rivers. In 2019 he was flat out not very good. He showed his first signs of age and that raises a big red flag. Will playing in a dome under quarterback guru Frank Reich help revive Rivers’ career or will he be too far past his prime?
TY Hilton’s health is also a major concern. Hilton has struggled with nagging injuries for the better part of two seasons now and we really don’t know how healthy he is going to be. When healthy he is a top-five wide receiver in the NFL but a top-five talent doesn’t do anything for you on IR.
Injuries in general have been a major issue for the Colts in years past. A secondary that is already thin, to begin with, can never seem to stay healthy. Malik Hooker is the primary problem.
If Phillip Rivers plays like the Phillip Rivers we know and love and the majority of the roster can stay healthy, the Colts will be a legitimate threat in the AFC. Those are two big ‘ifs” but that’s just the way it is with the 2020 Indianapolis Colts.
2020 Record: 11-5
I truly believe in the revival of Philip Rivers and this should be the best defense the Colts have had in years. The AFC South is a very weak division which I think they should win easily even if they’re worse than 11-5. I see a conference championship birth in their future. Philip Rivers doesn’t have the best post-season track record, but this is also the most talent he’s ever had around him. If Phillip Rivers can lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl, Colts fans may forget Andrew Luck ever existed.
Fantasy Player to Watch: Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor has a legitimate chance to win offensive rookie of the year this year. He has the skillset and the o-line to make some serious noise in the league. With most people being drawn to Marlon Mack after his breakout year in 2019, you should be able to scoop Taylor late and stash him on your bench. He’s a low-risk high reward pick and could end up being the difference-maker for your fantasy team.
