Valuable Lessons Colts Can Learn From Patriots and Seahawks

The Indianapolis Colts should take notes from the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

Dec 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks is just around the corner. As the world tunes in, so too should the Indianapolis Colts.

Indianapolis could afford to learn a thing or two from Mike Vrabel and Mike McDonald's teams and their journey to the big dance in Santa Clara, California.

With this subject top of mind, let's get into the biggest things Indianapolis can take from each squad to hopefully make a trip to Super Bowl LXI.

New England Patriots | You Don't Need Superstars to Win

Nov 2, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) walks out of the tunnel before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

While the Patriots have their fair share of excellent talents, especially when considering quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez, they aren't littered with household names.

Despite this, Vrabel has this team playing lights out on all sides of the football. This has been done through confidence, surgical execution, and cohesion.

New England finished a fantastic 14-3 while harnessing the AFC East crown with two Pro Bowlers (Maye and Gonzalez) and two Second-Team All-Pros (Maye and cornerback/punt returner Marcus Jones).

What's interesting is that, even with only three players earning these honors, they're involved with all three phases of the game. Maye offensive, Gonzalez defense, and Jones on special teams.

Feb 4, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) speaks to the media at the Santa Clara Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Patriots didn't need superstars all over the field to get to the Super Bowl. What they did was play team football and take games from opposition as a unit.

Below are some of the biggest contributors, offensively and defensively, to New England's Super Bowl run for the 2025 season.

You'll notice that these are names that flew under the radar, are young talents, or are savvy veterans who used their experience to help the squad punch a ticket to Santa Clara.

Offense

• Running Back | TreVeyon Henderson - 911 rushing yards, 9 rushing TDs
• Running Back | Rhamondre Stevenson - 603 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs
• Wide Receiver | Stefon Diggs - 85 catches, 1,013 receiving yards, 4 receiving TDs
• Tight End | Hunter Henry - 60 catches, 768 receiving yards, 7 receiving TDs
• Wide Receiver | Kayshon Boutte - 33 catches, 551 receiving yards, 6 receiving TDs
• Wide Receiver | Mack Hollins - 46 catches, 550 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

Defense

• Defensive Tackle | Christian Barmore - 29 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 50 QB pressures
• Defensive Edge | Harold Landry III - 49 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks
• Defensive Edge | K'Lavon Chaisson - 31 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks
• Linebacker | Robert Spillane - 97 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 5 pass breakups, 2 interceptions
• Linebacker | Jack Gibbens - 81 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 pass breakups, 1 fumble forced
• Cornerback | Marcus Jones - 65 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups, 3 Ints
• Cornerback | Carlton Davis III - 69 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups
• Safety | Jaylinn Hawkins - 71 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 6 pass breakups, 4 Ints

Oct 26, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane (14) tackles Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (44) during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Indianapolis had more superstars during the 2025 season than the Patriots. Names like Charvarius Ward Sr. and Sauce Gardner were acquired through free agency and a blockbuster trade.

Other talents, like running back Jonathan Taylor, guard Quenton Nelson, and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner were already on the squad and had established themselves as cornerstones.

Despite this, Indianapolis whiffed horribly by dropping their last seven games to finish 8-9. Even with all of the injuries, more disciplined and resilient teams like New England didn't need big names to win consistently.

At the end of the day, the biggest lesson that the Colts can take from Vrabel's troops is that discipline and cohesion are the most prominent keys to victory.

While it's always nice to have the flashy names, they're clearly not required. The hope is that Indy can harness this lesson while also keeping the talents they spent big money on or traded huge assets for to stay healthy and play within the system to win as a team.

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Seattle Seahawks | Situation is Everything for Quarterback Success

Feb 5, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) talks to media members at the San Jose Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The story of what Seattle has done with quarterback Sam Darnold is something to behold.

Darnold was completely thrown away as a starter, and even when he earned a Pro Bowl in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, everyone was proven right that he was a flash in the pan after they were bounced immediately from the playoffs.

Once the Vikings decided to turn away from Darnold, the Seahawks saw something the rest of the league overlooked - they also had the perfect assembly of players to perfectly fit Darnold's greatest attributes.

With a bruising rushing attack and an excellent supporting cast featuring key role players and superstar receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Darnold had everything he needed to finally hit his full potential.

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

It doesn't hurt that Klint Kubiak was the offensive coordinator, and will take the reins as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders once the Super Bowl concludes.

Darnold finished with efficient metrics, logging 4,048 passing yards, a 67.7 completion percentage, 25 touchdown passes, and a second-straight Pro Bowl nomination.

Darnold also had an excellent defensive counterpart that tied for seventh in sacks (47), sixth in total yards allowed per game (285.6), and sixth in takeaways (25).

Luckily, the Colts were doing this with Daniel Jones before he succumbed to a fractured fibula and season-ending Achilles injury, so the formula is there.

However, it has to be carried into 2026, and teams won't be as surprised as they were through Indy's first 10 games.

The Colts have the pieces in place with plenty of offensive weapons, a solid offensive line, a capable defense, and the play callers to make it happen in Shane Steichen and Lou Anarumo.

Again, injuries didn't help their cause. But going back to the Patriots entry, resilient and strong teams still find a way to win through precision and execution.

Indianapolis has been desperate for a QB answer, and Jones looks to be the closest thing to that since the retirement of Andrew Luck in 2019.

We'll see if Indianapolis can take big-time notes from what McDonald was able to do with Darnold to take his career to the zenith of what a QB can accomplish.

Jones has all the tools and, in many ways, has a story very similar to Darnold's. We'll see if it can be done after so much promise was shown during the 2025 season.

The Bottom Line

Dec 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) looks to throw downfield against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

While the Colts' 2025 season will go down as arguably the biggest collapse in NFL history, they can bounce back in a big way next year.

The Patriots and Seahawks have proven to the NFL that you don't need otherworldly talents and superstar names to make it happen. Instead, playing in unison and surrounding a good quarterback with a perfect situation are far more important.

Hopes should be high for Indianapolis heading into 2026. If these lessons are heeded and Steichen can right the ship, perhaps the Colts will find themselves in the Super Bowl to have a chance to bring the Lombardi back to Indianapolis.