Indianapolis Colts Flirt With Rock Bottom in New Power Rankings

The Indianapolis Colts were looking like legitimate contenders in 2025 before injuries derailed their season. For some fans, this was just another midseason collapse under general manager Chris Ballard, while others started to view the Colts as cursed after such bad luck effectively ended their season.

Regardless of how folks feel about the Colts' 2025 regular-season results, the fanbase and analysts alike are in agreement of one thing: the Colts putting all of their eggs in the oft-injured basket known as quarterback Daniel Jones is not a smart move.

Most of the national media believe the Colts are a middling team for the 2026 season, but one member couldn't be more out on what their roster is selling, especially when it comes to their reliance on Jones returning to form.

NFL Draft on SI's Justin Melo dropped his post-draft NFL power rankings, listing the Colts at No. 27.

"The Indianapolis Colts are relying on quarterback Daniel Jones to make a full recovery from a brutal midseason Achilles tear; Regarding the draft, second-round linebacker CJ Allenis easy to pencil into the starting lineup," Melo wrote.

Melo's bottom five teams in the power ranking are as follows:

28. Las Vegas Raiders
29. Cleveland Browns
30. New York Jets
31. Arizona Cardinals
32. Miami Dolphins

Teams around the NFL are by no means trying to avoid the Colts in 2026, but if fully healthy, they could make some noise. Melo's argument, however, is that they won't make it through the full 17-game regular season slate without another injury derailing it all, and banking on Daniel Jones to not only be the same player he was in 2025 as early as Week 1 but to stay healthy, and I think it's a fair one.

Jones no doubt rebounded from his uninspired conclusion to his tenure with the New York Giants, throwing for 3,101 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and 8 interceptions on a 68% completion rate during his first year as the Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback.

The Colts would not have hit their successful 8-2 start to 2025 had Jones not been leading the charge, but his Achilles tear was also their ultimate undoing. Jones giveth, and Jones taketh away, one might say.

Jones has been hitting his rehab checkpoints throughout the offseason thus far, even beginning participation in team work (7-on-7) midway through OTAs, but banking on him to return to form and stay healthy throughout the season is a hard bargain to sell.

But no matter how promising Jones's rehab process is this summer, the ultimate question that'll remain is whether or not he can stay healthy throughout a 17-game season, and then three to four more games in the playoffs.

Jones has never started all 16-17 games (regular season jumped to 17 games in 2021) in any of his seven years in the NFL, having multiple seasons cut short due to a major injury. Melo may be a bit lower on the Colts' roster than most, but his reasoning makes a lot of sense when you break it down.

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