2018 NFL Power Rankings: Risk on Mahomes paying off for Chiefs

24. Indianapolis Colts (30)

Is it time to begin giving the Indianapolis Colts respect now that Andrew Luck finally has that first win under his belt after missing all of last year with a shoulder injury? The former No. 1 pick deserves a ton of credit for fighting back the way he has over the last couple of months since there was some concern early on over whether Luck would even be healthy enough to play again this year.

Turns out, being patient is paying off for the Colts after seeing Luck do just enough on offense to help them pull off the tough win on the road against the Washington Redskins. But while Luck deserves credit for doing his part on offense, the other side of the football deserves even more credit for holding the Redskins to just nine points.

Washington’s offense may be a work in progress since Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson are working with a ton of younger talent, but when looking at Indianapolis in general over the years on defense, this was a huge accomplishment. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how this defense follows up in Week 3 with a tough battle on the road taking on the defending champions.