Indianapolis Colts: 3 Reasons to believe in playoff chances

The Indianapolis Colts are quietly transitioning from a slow starter out the blocks into a galloping underdog on the outside.

Three wins on the trot have seen Frank Reich’s Indianapolis Colts squeeze their way into unlikely playoff contention as the business end of the season begins to get underway. Sealing a Wild Card berth remains an extremely tough ask for a team that started the campaign 1-5, but recent performances have warned of an offense beginning to find its feet in commanding fashion.

The Colts took another stride towards levelling out their deficit last week as they dealt a crushing blow to the playoff ambitions of a Jacksonville Jaguars side deemed Super Bowl contenders during the summer.

A first half blitz racked up 29 points and showcased why their postseason hopes may be starting to materialize. With that, we look at why the Colts’ playoff chances are something worth putting stock into.

No. 12 and his bodyguards

Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni have devised one of the NFL’s growing showpieces, to the point where the Jags defense was often left in debate over who was responsible for covering the pass catcher on Sunday. A very talented Jags defense, at that. The way the Colts have incorporated tight end Eric Ebron has been a trademark of their success this season.

Ebron found the end zone on three occasions against the Jags, twice on passing plays and once on a handoff, giving him nine receiving touchdowns on the year. In a monumental change in fortune from his days in Detroit, he has emerged as a reliable red zone threat.

Reich’s use of his entire tight end corps has been central, with Jack Doyle bolstering the running game as a full-back at times and Mo Alie-Cox harnessing his basketball roots to serve as a valuable vertical threat.

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Add another receiver in the 2019 draft to assist T.Y. Hilton, and the Colts will be a serious force to be reckoned with. They are also notably still waiting to see sixth round weapon Deon Cain in action, with the Clemson product having been placed on injured reserve after an impressive training camp.

Running game emerging

With Marlon Mack’s bright impression over the past month,Colts fans have adopted a slightly subdued attitude towards Le’Veon Bell’s availability on the market. Extracting the best from Luck again wasn’t only about presenting him with a brick wall to work behind, but also discovering some success in the ground game as a means of preserving his arm when necessary and possible.

Mack has hinted at filling the Colts’ back pocket with an effective rushing threat, racking up 126 yards for one touchdown off 19 carries against the Buffalo Bills and 132 yards for two touchdowns on 25 attempts versus the Oakland Raiders. His limited involvement against the Jags (29 yards off 12 carries) may have come down to the foot injury he had been nursing in the week leading up to the game.

Cue more praise for Ballard’s 2018 draft class. The versatility of fourth-round running back Nyheim Hines has also given the Colts another welcomed receiver threat in the open field to polish in the coming years.

A team to watch

The more you watch the Colts, the more you feel they are merely a couple of explosive edge rushers and perhaps another wide receiver away from asserting themselves regular playoff contenders. In other words, they are another Ballard draft class away from becoming a team to fear.

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In Week 11, the Colts come up against their closest competitors in the hunt for the second AFC wildcard spot in the Tennessee Titans. A win would see them level their divisional rivals with a 5-5 record ahead of a Week 12 meeting with the 5-5 Miami Dolphins.

Make it into the postseason, and this team will be capable of doing some real damage.

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