Week 7 Results and Their Effect on the AFC South Playoff Race
By Max Dambach
Indianapolis Colts
Week 7 Results: Lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-0
What it Means: Any hope that Indianapolis had of competing this season is likely gone at this point. The Colts have now lost to two division opponents and it wasn’t even close. The team’s 2-5 record is somewhat deceiving, as both of their wins came against the last two winless teams in the NFL. An already weak defense was dealt a strong blow with first-rounder Malik Hooker now out for the season with a knee injury. Jacoby Brissett has shown promise throughout the season, which has kept them in several games, and it is looking more likely every week that Andrew Luck will not see the field this season.
This is a team that really needs a full-scale rebuild. Outside of quarterback, how many positions do the Colts have NFL caliber talent and depth at? This roster is talent-deficient, and on top of that, it’s paper-thin. Likely heading for a high pick, the Colts are best off allowing Luck to sit out the rest of the year and try to find a trade partner for Brissett. Bigger than any win would be for the Colts to escape 2017 without any more catastrophic injuries in the vein of Luck’s shoulder and Hooker’s knee while securing a high draft position so that this roster can experience a quick turnaround while Luck is still in his prime.
What’s Next: The Colts face another two-win team in Cincinnati. However, the Bengals have been a much better team following the promotion of Bill Lazor to the OC position and with Andy Dalton recovering some of his 2015 form. Despite not having the level of defensive talent of Jacksonville, Cincinnati has enough talent to shut down this Colts offense. Until the Colts play another winless team, I just can’t have much confidence in their chance to win with this roster.