Following a pair of 8-8 seasons without a playoff appearance, the Indianapolis Colts started to clean house. It started with the removal of GM Ryan Grigson and the signing of several free agents. But somehow Chuck Pagano was spared and returns to try and get the Colts back to the 11-win teams he had during his first three years on the job. Having Andrew Luck healthy will certainly make Pagano a better coach and he better hope Luck is ready once the season starts and that he stays that way if the Colts have any hope of winning a Super Bowl.
Super Bowl 52 Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots +310
Dallas Cowboys +1000
Seattle Seahawks +1100
Green Bay Packers +1200
Pittsburgh Steelers +1300
Atlanta Falcons +1500
Oakland Raiders +1500
Kansas City Chiefs +2000
Denver Broncos +2500
New York Giants +2500
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2800
Carolina Panthers +3000
Houston Texans +3000
Arizona Cardinals +3500
Minnesota Vikings +3500
Indianapolis Colts +4000
Tennessee Titans +4000
Baltimore Ravens +4500
Philadelphia Eagles +5000
New Orleans Saints +5000
Cincinnati Bengals +5500
Los Angeles Chargers +6500
Miami Dolphins +6500
Detroit Lions +6500
Washington Redskins +6500
Jacksonville Jaguars +8000
Buffalo Bills +9000
Chicago Bears +12500
Los Angeles Rams +15000
San Francisco 49ers +30000
Cleveland Browns +30000
New York Jets +30000
Key Factors For Winning the Super Bowl
A Little Luck – There have been teams that won a Super Bowl without having a marquee quarterback, but those teams are few and far between. And the few that did win had the most devastating defense in the league the year they won. The Colts don’t have a defense that’s going to win a title, so they need their star to be healthy and stay healthy for any chance. After getting beat up again last season, Andrew Luck elected to have his shoulder surgically repaired during the offseason which forced him to miss the entire preseason. Not that Luck needs to play in exhibition games after his five years in the league, but practicing would be helpful and Luck hasn’t done that yet. Despite taking 41 sacks last season and dealing with a sore arm, Luck still threw for 4,240 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing a career-best 63.5 percent of his passes. Imagine what he could do with a healthy shoulder and a line that offers even slightly better protection. The Colts need Luck to have any chance at winning a Super Bowl title.
Dominate the Division – A few years back when the Colts were winning 11 games a season and participating in the postseason with a chance to win a Super Bowl, they dominated games within the AFC South. Indy won a NFL record 16 straight against division rivals, going undefeated during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The Colts won 11 games and the division both years, reaching the AFC Championship game in 2014. Houston, Tennessee and Jacksonville are all improving clubs, but the division is still up for grabs and the Colts have as good a chance as any to win it and qualify for the postseason. And all it takes is getting in. Since the win streak ended two seasons ago, the Colts have gone just 5-4 against their AFC South brethren and they’ve played .500 ball and failed to reach the postseason.
Help on Defense – Key players on defense got older and less productive and the Colts ranked 30th in total defense last season giving up 383 yards per game. The plan was to get younger and more athletic and that worked. It remains to be seen if the group is any better, but it can’t be much worse. The 3-4 defensive alignment only works if you have the proper personnel. The Colts went out and got new linebackers to work in the format. Jabaal Sheard, Sean Spence, Barkevious Mingo and John Simon are all productive and still relatively young. The secondary will need to grow up quickly to give the Colts a chance. Vontae Davis is an All-Pro corner, but the club is leaning on rookies Malik Hooker and Quincy Wilson to help out immediately. The group should be better than what we saw last year, but they’ll need to be exponentially better for the Colts to sniff a Super Bowl title.
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