Colts' Playoff Woes Put Them in Awful Company

The Indianapolis Colts find themselves in awful company after another playoff miss.

Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard opens his pre-draft press conference discussing support for the family of long-time scout Matt Terpening in the lost of his wife, Monday, April 21, 2025 at the Colts headquarters, the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. | Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts had themselves one hell of a season - if we're talking about ultimate collapses and disappointment after a torrid 8-2 start.

For a fifth-straight campaign, Indianapolis missed the playoffs, and yet again, have many questions swirling.

Fox Sports had a post on X that truly put into perspective how bad of a playoff drought this is for Indianapolis, placing them in the top seven of the longest stretches without a postseason spot.

These teams have the longest current playoff droughts in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/QBTu0IqX1n

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 6, 2026

This puts the Colts in unwanted company with the Tennessee Titans (2021), Las Vegas Raiders (2021), Arizona Cardinals (2021), New Orleans Saints (2020), Atlanta Falcons (2017), and New York Jets (2010).

In short, this is an embarrassing list to surface on, and a microcosm of the lack of success Indianapolis has had under the leadership of general manager Chris Ballard.

Since 2020, when Philip Rivers led Indianapolis to the Wild Card round, Ballard's teams have been mediocre at best. Below are the records Indianapolis has compiled since their last playoff trip.

• 2021 | 9-8
• 2022 | 4-12-1
• 2023 | 9-8
• 2024 | 8-9
• 2025 | 8-9

Nine wins is the cap, which isn't encouraging in the slightest, yet Ballard will resume his role as general manager for an unprecedented 10th season.

If there was playoff success at all, it might be justified, but Ballard's retention by Carlie Irsay-Gordon is a curious one. While Indianapolis started the 2025 hot, injuries helped derail their season.

However, seven-straight losses is an achievement of the worst kind - and even the worst football squads in the NFL will find it hard to put up that type of losing streak.

#Colts owner & CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon sends a strong message to general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen:

"We have been very clear with Chris and Shane... the sense of urgency for them to deliver and perform has never been higher." pic.twitter.com/oUCAPpmVuX

— WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) January 5, 2026

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Ballard's tenure has produced a lackluster record, and it isn't all from the years after making the playoffs.

As general manager (hired in 2017), Ballard's Colts have produced a miserable 70-78-1 record, amounting to a lackluster win percentage of 47.

Another fact to point out is that the lone playoff win was with Andrew Luck at quarterback against the Houston Texans during the 2018 season. As for the 2020 playoff trip, that was the future NFL Hall of Famer, Rivers.

One QB was one of the greatest prospects this league has ever seen and was on his way to a Hall of Fame career before calling it quits in 2019. The other is legitimately one of the best field generals the league has ever seen.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard leaves the field Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ballard's track record shows that he needs a great quarterback to get things done, and it appeared like Daniel Jones was just that this year before succumbing to a brutal Achilles injury that cut his excellent season short.

Irsay-Gordon mentioned in her press conference that the standards for Ballard have never been higher to succeed. The problem here is that those have been the expectations year in, year out.

It's puzzling how Ballard continues to resemble a cat as far as keeping his gig as Indy's general manager. The only difference? Cats have nine lives, apparently Ballard has 10.

Irsay-Gordon didn't go into great detail on what those high expectations are, but it's assumed they resemble something like making the playoffs, earning a playoff victory, and finally capturing the ever-elusive AFC South crown (last won by Colts in 2014).

Ballard shouldn't have been retained after the disgusting 2022 season (4-12-1), but now he's heading into the 2026 campaign after posting another losing record.

The good news? Ballard swung for the fences during the 2025 offseason, attaining names like cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Cam Bynum.

He also traded two first-rounders (2026 and 2027) for All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, to help push the Colts to a possible Super Bowl before the wheels fell off.

The hope is he takes another aggressive approach, as Indy seemed to be on the cusp of something great, before they weren't.

It's going to be the most important offseason in recent memory for the Colts, and Ballard must nail it again to give himself the best chance to survive after what's been a wildly underwhelming tenure as GM.

Colts fans who think Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen will be fired after the season are going to be very disappointed.

— Andrew Moore (@AndrewMooreNFL) December 15, 2025