Colts Make Big Jump in ESPN's NFL Power Rankings

The Indianapolis Colts went into Baltimore on Sunday and pulled off an improbable 22-19 overtime win over the Ravens.

It stands to reason after two-road wins, including the latest over an AFC North power, the Colts would move up significantly in the various NFL power rankings.

They moved up seven spots from No. 27 to No. 20 in the latest ESPN NFL Power Rankings. The seven-spot leap tied the Arizona Cardinals for the biggest jump of the week.

The Cardinals moved from No. 32 to No. 25 after their convincing 28-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

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ESPN has a weekly theme with their power rankings, and this week's is each team's biggest issue on offense. Michael Pittman's spectacular-overtime catch not withstanding, ESPN laments the lack of big plays from the Colts' offense.

"The Colts have sputtered a bit on offense when you view the unit from the perspective of yards per play," wrote Colts' beat writer Stephen Holder. "They ranked 25th through Sunday with 4.6 yards per play, making it difficult to finish drives because they are moving the ball in small chunks.

"Some of that is the product of QB Anthony Richardson being out of the lineup for the past six quarters with a concussion. The Colts are starting to show some promise on offense, but to progress to the next step, they'll need to be much more explosive."

Jonathan Taylor is eligible to come off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after Sunday's game against the Rams. If he's healthy (and playing), he qualifies as a big-play threat.

With the Colts coming in at No. 20, it's not hard to look at the teams above them and make an argument that they should be higher.

The No. 19 Jacksonville Jaguars are 1-2 and just got soundly beaten by the Houston Texans. Sure they beat the Colts in Week 1, but that was Richardson's first start in head coach Shane Steichen's first game. The Colts beat the Texans 31-20 in Houston in Week 2.

The Washington Commanders check in at No. 17. They were brought back down to earth by the Buffalo Bills in a 37-3 loss. They're also 2-1, with wins over the Cardinals and hapless Denver Broncos.

Like we say every week, power rankings don't win games. However, with two winnable games coming up against the 1-2 Rams and the 1-2 Tennessee Titans in Indianapolis, the Colts can control their own narrative with a realistic chance of going 4-1 to start the Shane Steichen era.

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