NFL: Projecting final records for all 32 teams
By Brad Rowland
Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck is a monster. That is the moral of story in Indianapolis, as Luck led the Colts to an 11-5 mark in his second season without the benefit of a highly talented roster surrounding him. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old Luck will need to build on his 3,822 yards and 23 touchdowns this season, as the Colts did not infuse a great deal of new blood into the mix while losing some key pieces.
Offensively, Indy will be leaning heavily on the combination of Trent Richardson (career 3.3 yards per carry) and T.Y. Hilton to generate effective plays, and the Hakeem Nicks signing at wide receiver has not generated rave reviews. On the plus side, both Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener appear to be healthy, giving Luck two strong “safety valve” options, and it is probably a safe bet to assume that the quarterback himself will take a step forward in his third full campaign.
The Colts were firmly league average in defense last season (16th in DVOA), and it is an interesting mix of overpaid veterans and scrap-heap players. Still, that defensive production was a big reason that Indianapolis outperformed their win projection (9.5 projected victories), and they’ll need a few more positive bounces.
Indianapolis certainly doesn’t possess the worst roster in the league, but a bet on the Colts to win more than they lose is a bet on Andrew Luck. I’ll take it.
The Pick: 9-7