The Indianapolis Colts have failed to return to the playoffs since the “Deflategate Scandal” went down a couple years back. It’d been back-to-back 8-8 campaigns since Chuck Strong went 11-5 and reached the AFC title game where it was ripped apart by the New England Patriots. The natives are starting to get restless. It goes without saying that this is a big season for Chuck Pagano and his staff. A slow start out of the gates, and it’s definitely within the realm of possibility that he’s handed his walking papers. The chips are stacked against him with the availability of Andrew Luck still to be determined with the regular season set to kick off in a week.
AFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Baltimore Ravens +3200
Buffalo Bills +9000
Cincinnati Bengals +3800
Cleveland Browns +9500
Denver Broncos +1600
Houston Texans +1214
Indianapolis Colts +3400
Jacksonville Jaguars +5000
Kansas City Chiefs +1300
Los Angeles Chargers +2250
Miami Dolphins +3000
New England Patriots +141
New York Jets +20000
Oakland Raiders +800
Pittsburgh Steelers +415
Tennessee Titans +1800
Key Players for Winning the AFC
Andrew Luck – Luck’s importance to the Colts’ offensive makeup is second to none. With him under center, Indy can exchange points with anybody. Without him, they’re just an ordinary run of the mill attack that doesn’t have the firepower to mask the defense’s extreme deficiencies. Even in an injury marred campaign a year ago, Luck went on to throw for 4,240 yards and 31 touchdowns. The 13 interceptions were a bit concerning, but were overshadowed by the fifth most passing touchdowns in the league. The Colts return a solid WR corps headlined by T.Y. Hilton whose fantasy backers are praying Luck is back leading this potent offense sooner rather than later. Should he get off the PUP list heading into Week 1, the team and fans of the franchise will be able to breathe a bit easier. If not, it’ll be another disappointing season in Indy.
Jack Mewhort – While the big man is just one of the five set to form a wall for whichever quarterback nestles in under center, he’s looked upon as the best of the unit and needs to lead by example. Offensive line play has been downright atrocious in Indianapolis ever since Peyton Manning packed his bags and headed for Denver. Luck has routinely been forced to run for his life, and has paid the price numerous times when unable to escape. The Colts conceded an average of 2.8 sacks per game ( No. 28 ) and 44 in all ( No. 5 ). Chris Ballard brought in several new lineman in the offseason, and the hope is that it will find a way to do much better than versions from year’s past. Especially if Luck is forced to miss numerous games early on, the hogs up front have to set the tone of the offense.
Vontae Davis – Seriously any of the 11 starters on defense could have been listed here. With so much turnover on this side of the ball in the offseason, Davis’s name was really the only one I could recognize. With that the case, it could be a good thing and tremendous opportunity for the new guys to help shift the identity of this defense. It hasn’t been good. In fact, it’s been downright atrocious. Though it played better down the stretch, nine of their 16 overall games combined to go over. Hardly shocking when you look at the end results. Indianapolis gave up an average of 382.9 yards ( No. 30 ) and 24.5 points per game ( No. 21 ). On top of that, it only registered 33 quarterback sacks ( No. 19 ). A new linebacker core spearheaded by Jabaal Sheard must find a way to ramp up the pressure so as to not allow Davis and his secondary mates to continue getting gouged through the air.
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