16. Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis plays on Monday Night Football
The Indianapolis Colts were once 7-1 on the season, and it felt like a lock for this team to win the AFC South and earn one of the top three seeds in the AFC Playoff Picture, but things have just gone off the rails since then, as the Colts saw Daniel Jones go down with a torn Achilles, and not only that, but Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard are still hurt.
The Colts are now going to be starting Philip Rivers for the second game in a row, and they host the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. Funnily enough, I believe the Colts match up quite well with San Fran. The Niners have a fine defense, but they simply cannot create pressure and will have a huge task against Indy’s top OL.
Indy also has a plethora of weapons, but the Niners do not have the personnel to match up with everyone. The veteran Rivers should have an efficient game here, but even if Indy wins this game and manages to get into the playoffs, this team is not going anywhere. The QB position has cratered, and while it’s been a fun story with Rivers, he’s not going to be able to do much if he helps the Colts sneak into the postseason.
Indianapolis went from being one of the best to perhaps one of the more irrelevant teams in the NFL in just a few weeks.
15. Carolina Panthers
Are the Carolina Panthers for real? The Panthers won a huge game in Week 16 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and moved to 8-7, still in control in the NFC South. It has been a solid year for Carolina overall, as you can clearly see the growth put forth by second-year head coach Dave Canales. Quarterback Bryce Young has also been relatively solid this year.
I am still not entirely sure if Young is a legitimate ‘guy,’ but given how this season has gone, it would be tough to think that Young isn’t back in 2026, at least. I have always thought that this roster was a little bit better than expected, and I think we have begun to see some of this talent come together.
If Carolina were to win the NFC South this year, I am not sure they’d have quite enough to win a game, but just getting into the playoffs and being able to host a game would be pretty awesome, as this franchise has been in the abyss for years now. Carolina is again back over .500 and have risen a bit in our latest NFL power rankings. Good for the Panthers - their fans absolutely deserve this.