Can Andrew Luck vault the Indianapolis Colts atop the AFC?

Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Luck is a proven winner, but his Colts have little to brag about this NFL season, outside of their winning record. Can Andrew Luck vault the Indianapolis Colts atop the AFC? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in part one of this week’s TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

TODD:

What do we make of the Indianapolis Colts?

The easy starting point is to say they are going to roll to the AFC South title. That division is shaping into (remains as) the worst in the sport. I expected big things out of Tennessee this season that just haven’t come to fruition. The defense has been spotty rather than sturdy, and the offense, even with a healthy Jake Locker, hasn’t produced anything outside of a good half against the Cleveland Browns.

A frisky Jacksonville and improved Houston are also not threats to Indianapolis’ division crown this season. The Colts are flawed but not as much as their division.

As they held on for dear life against the Texans last Thursday, Indy’s success continually comes back to its defense. We know what Andrew Luck is. Trent Richardson looks better this season as he’s familiarized himself with the offense, and Ahmad Bradshaw is one of the best second-backs in the NFL. The weapons on the outside are also as deep as it gets at wide receiver and tight end.

But the Colts have allowed big numbers to the two best teams they’ve played and to Houston last week. Now in come the angry Bengals, looking for a win after a shellacking at the hands of New England followed by one of the most brutal ties imaginable. Even with the Colts at home, this game is a toss-up at best.

However, from there, the schedule lightens back up again: at Pittsburgh, at the Giants, bye week, and then another run of winnable games with the exception of a tilt against those Patriots.

Even though, year in and year out, we want to knock this team for not being very good and getting lucky, they continue to be very good and get lucky. It’s hard to argue at this point…and yet, I still can’t project much postseason success for this squad.

Andrew Luck’s weekly need to make comebacks worries me. The defensive pass rush worries me even more even while it is holding up at the moment.

I hate to say it, but out of the top five teams in the AFC, I still like Indianapolis the least. I suppose this coming game against Cincinnati will help clear up that picture even more.

More from Indianapolis Colts

• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• 5 rookies to target for your Fantasy Football drafts In 2023
• Indianapolis Colts: Jonathan Taylor and Jim Irsay are stuck together
• Another star running back is unhappy with his situation
• Jim Irsay is alienating his best player at the worst possible time

DAN:

I really like Andrew Luck, but the Colts have failed to impress me yet this season and I’m certainly not ready to hand them the division. Sitting at 4-2, both Houston and Tennessee are a winning streak away from catching up. Houston is 3-3 while the Titans are 2-4. If head to head matchups are any indication, then yes, we can count out the Titans. But not the Houston Texans.

Andrew Luck has the ability to win the Colts a ton of close games, but if their defense continues to wilt against the top offenses in the league, Indianapolis has little hope of holding on to their division title. There are only three games left on Indy’s schedule that I’m ready to hand them victory; matchups with Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Washington.

Houston on the other hand took the “amazing” Cowboys to overtime and nearly beat Indianapolis. Both teams have very similar schedules remaining, but I think the problem here is that this division is an average group of teams with one overachiever.

Let’s assume the Colts split their remaining seven games (minus the three victories I already awarded them) with luck on their side, four victories and three losses. That puts them at 11-5 and in full control of their division heading into the playoffs. But put them at 10-6 or 9-7 and are we sure that Houston doesn’t match that?

Indy faces the Bengals, the Steelers in Pittsburgh, the Giants in New York, the Patriots, the rejuvenated Browns in Cleveland, and the Dallas Cowboys. A final matchup with Houston in week fifteen looms very, very large. Ultimately I believe Indy wins the AFC South because of Andrew Luck, but none of this gives me playoff confidence.

I feel like we are talking ourselves into liking a team that would miss the postseason in almost any other division around the league. A beatdown Sunday by the Bengals validates my concerns. A victory by Indianapolis reaffirms their hold on much of the AFC. This team should be easier to figure out. They have a stud at quarterback, but this is not the year Luck takes the Colts to the Super Bowl.

[Part two – Can Ryan Fitzpatrick keep Texans’ hot streak alive?]