Colts Given Interesting Prediction for Next Season's Win Total

Will the Indianapolis Colts be overachieving or underperforming across next season?

Jan 5, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen reacts to a call during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2025 season, the Indianapolis Colts are projected to have a win total of 7.5 from FanDuel SportsBook, placing this group among the middle-of-the-road teams in the NFL next year, despite several offseason changes and improvements.

Despite the following, the Colts are projected to finish with half a win fewer than they did last season, with eight total victories. And to some, this group could be in line to finish even further than their early win projections.

In the eyes of CBS Sports' Jared Dubin, the Colts are among the five teams in the NFL with the biggest chance to fall short of their win totals at season's end. His main concerns? The quarterback position and the defense.

"You might be sensing a theme here, folks. The Colts have two quarterbacks, and as Bill Parcells once said, if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. That might be especially true when your quarterbacks are Anthony Richardson (who completed just 47.7% of his passes last season) and Daniel Jones (who is Daniel Jones). The Colts are counting on defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, safety Cam Bynum and cornerback Charvarius Ward to lift a defense that finished last season 29th in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed. Yet unless that defense gets to solidly above average, it's hard to see the Colts being good enough to overcome what should be a below-average offense."

In that same list lies the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Miami Dolphins. Not the most appealing collective to be a part of, but one that Indianapolis finds themselves in, nonetheless.

Nov 24, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) reacts during a game against the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Grace Hollars/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

For the Colts, though, their improvement from last season does rely on a couple of things playing in their favor to truly make that jump.

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The defensive changes from the past few months, whether it be Anarumo, Ward, or Bynum, have to show out as catalysts in a total overhaul from last season. Most importantly, the quarterback position has to show signs of life compared to 2024.

Indianapolis has the talent in the building to put together a playoff-level roster. The Colts have possibly one of the best groups of weapons to surround their quarterback, especially with their first-round pick of Tyler Warren factoring in. Defensively, the secondary has only improved in the past four months, and the front seven has multiple young, budding pieces to bank on.

That's a great foundation to build on, and one that can quickly grow into a successful group for the 2025 campaign. But across the past two years, similar structures of this same regime have been built up and broken down over the course of an 18-game sample size, giving this newly-refurbished roster for this coming season a bit of added pessimism that even questions whether seven wins can be in play or not.

Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen talks to the team Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Simply put, there is a route to surging past their low expectations. If not, things could get ugly pretty quickly in Indianapolis. Time will tell if those parts can all finally come together in the third year under Coach Steichen.

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