The Colts have been the surprise story of the first half of the season. Some other teams have had some moments, but no team has put positive weekly results on the field, as well as the Colts have. We still have our detractors who most often want to put our strength of schedule as a caveat. Yes, our first eight opponents check in with a winning percentage of 39% (24 – 37). The nay-sayers are reluctant to look at our +116 point differential in a league where every team can win on the proverbial “Any given Sunday.”
First off, I’d like to say that the second half of our schedule is not quite as scary as I personally thought it might be, say in week four. The Steelers were doing Steeler things, Atlanta looked to have something building, San Fran and Seattle were knocking down opponents, and we had not shaken the Jags to that point. Conversely, the Chiefs were looking human and Houston kept finding ways to lose, even with a stout defense. Each of those teams have moved closer to their mean and now the winning percentage of our last nine opponents is at a well earned 55%.
We wont see as much at Lucas Oil on the back nine. We have three true home games, five on the road, and a “home “game in Berlin. The 49ers will be the lone non divisional team coming to town. How we travel, may determine our seeding, if you are willing to enter us into the playoff picture at this time. Weather could be a factor. Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Seattle could produce inclement conditions and I went to a game in Jacksonville in December that was colder and wetter than I had planned for.
Our poll this week will center on your expectations for the next three weeks of the season. This will take us to Thanksgiving, when according to many, the games start to matter. What are you going to be happy with, merely satisfied, given cause for alarm, or pushing the panic button? Those games are: @Pittsburg, in Berlin against the Falcons, and @Kansas City.
Your choices:
3 – 0 baby! In the famous words of Nuke Laloosh, we will “Announce our presence with authority!” Pittsburgh has given up 33 and 35 in the last two weeks, so we will pile on to that. Atlanta wont be able to run Robinson, once they are down double digits, and Shane will save his best for Ried with the extra week to prepare.
A good 2 – 1. We’ll handle the Steelers and Falcons, but in a close game, the Chiefs just have more to play for and their urgency and home crowd pulls it out.
A good 1 – 2, if you believe that is possible. Say we split the Atlanta and Steeler games and lose a tight one to the Chiefs. We also start getting some DBs healthy, along with someone helpful at the trade deadline that just needs a little time in his new defense.
A bad 1 – 2. We lose to Pittsburgh or Atlanta and get blown out against the Chiefs.
The unimaginable 0 – 3. We look like crap and discover that Halloween has brought back the pumpkin that has been our carriage in Daniel Jones. I don’t believe that, but some still want be right about their preseason predictions, over enjoying the ride.
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