5 NFL teams who could shatter expectations in the 2020 season

3. Indianapolis Colts

Last season, the Indianapolis Colts were 7-9 which was impressive considering they lost their starting quarterback just before the regular season. Former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck decided to call it a career with just a couple of weeks to go until training camp began which shocked the football world.

The team seemed to know it could be coming but that didn’t mean it would be easy to replace No.12. Thankfully for them, they had one of the better backups in the NFL in Jacoby Brissett — who also started in 2017 for the Colts when Luck had a serious shoulder injury.

Brissett, however, isn’t the long-term answer. And after this offseason, it became apparent he wasn’t the short-term answer any longer as the Colts signed former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. They also drafted Jacob Eason from Washington, who will learn behind the veterans until the team deems he’s ready for the job (assuming he can prove he deserves it).

As good of a quarterback as Rivers has been historically, he’s coming into the season fresh off a frustrating campaign which saw him throw just 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. His issues with turnovers have some worried about how the Colts will perform in 2020 — but chances are he will be much better this year.

In 2019, Rivers went through much of the season without his star running back Melvin Gordon who was in a contract dispute with the team. He also had a struggling offensive line, which did him no favors.

With the Colts, they don’t have a perfect O-line but they’ve invested heavily and have a star in Quenten Nelson. They also potentially have one of the best backfields in the game with rookie Jonathan Taylor joining Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines.

On top of all this, the Colts play in a dome meaning Rivers will have plenty of opportunities to air it out in a controlled environment, which is great for a quarterback who will turn 39-years old this season.

Couple the offensive changes with a defense that has been rapidly improving over the past few seasons and the Colts could be a dark horse team to watch in 2020.