The Indianapolis Colts didn’t make it look easy, but they were able to grind out a tough Week 8 win over the Denver Broncos to improve their record to 5-2.
When Andrew Luck decided to retire from the NFL after a career filled with injuries, pain, but plenty of on-field success, Indianapolis Colts fans were worried about the team’s ability to get back into the postseason after a successful first season under head coach Frank Reich.
Thanks to Jacoby Brissett’s play at quarterback, the Colts look like one of the best teams in the AFC and have to be mentioned among the Super Bowl contenders in the conference.
Indianapolis’ latest win was a 15-13, last-gasp victory over a struggling Denver Broncos team, as they needed a winning field goal from Adam Vintatieri to save the day. But these are the ugly games the Colts need to win; Super Bowl contenders find a way to grind out victories even when they aren’t at their best.
The Colts are a well-rounded team. Not only do they have a legitimate star quarterback in Brissett, who played a perfect game last week to lead his team to victory over the Houston Texans, but they also have a defense that looks even stronger than last year’s much-improved unit. Furthermore, Brissett has a solid tight end group, superstar wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, and workhorse running back Marlon Mack to lean on.
Even when the Colts offense struggled to move the ball through the air against a talented Broncos defense, Brissett found a way to avoid mistakes. The young quarterback did not turn the ball over and averaged 8.1 yards per attempt, even though he was sacked four times and hit seven times by the Broncos ravenous defense.
That’s called doing what it takes as a leader. Brissett has replaced Luck’s leadership and downfield passing at the quarterback position, and he’s also managed to make smarter decisions than Luck, who would often trust his abilities a little too much. The Colts may be a better team with a hard-nosed defense, Mack leading the way on the ground, and Brissett playing composed football at the quarterback position.
But make no mistake, as he showed last week, Brissett has more than enough arm talent and downfield accuracy to make things happen on his own. It’s a good thing, too, since the young receivers after Hilton on the depth chart have yet to truly find their groove.
At 5-2, the Colts are in the mix with the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills as top contenders behind the New England Patriots in the AFC. They have high quality wins over teams like the Texans and Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs. This Colts team is legit, and nobody in this league wants to face them.