With the first quarter of their season in the books, The Indianapolis Colts could easily be 0-4, pretty much out of the playoff hunt.
Fortunately for Colts fans, games are not always determined by how bad one team plays, if their opponent plays slightly worse.
Or in the case of their week five gift from the Houston Texans, the opponent decides to give up two critical fumbles, then an interception in the game’s final minutes.
So instead of an abysmal record and a hole too deep to dig out of even this early, The Colts are still in a viable position to reclaim the AFC South and secure a playoff berth.
At 2-2, the Colts are tied in record with the Jacksonville Jaguars, with each team looking up at the surprising Tennessee Titans, whose defense has led them to an uncharacteristic 5-0 start.
Make no mistake; the Colts are well aware their good fortune in terms of wins and losses could easily be worse given their uneven performances to begin the season.
“It definitely was a break, and we’ll take it,” cornerback Marlin Jackson said following the teams unlikely 31-27 victory last week in Houston. “We’re not playing that great right now, we’re inconsistent and we’ve still got some things to get right. But to come out 2-2 in the first quarter is better than we could have been. All we’ve got to do now is really shore things up.”
For a team not recently used to such struggles, shoring up is in order on all sides of the ball.
Offensively, be it lack of cohesion from Manning’s camp absence or an offensive line that’s still a work in progress, the unit is still a far cry from even last year’s incarnation.
Defensively, the most glaring issue remains the team’s inability to contain the run. With safety Bob Sanders on the mend for at least four more weeks, there is no help coming through the doors of the Colts Complex any time soon.
Additionally, with the Colts youth still trying to figure out assignments, or the team collectively playing with a greater level of energy, Head coach Tony Dungy is making certain his team knows that outcomes such as that in week five are generally aberrations.
“You’re not going be able to come from 17 points down week after week, it just doesn’t work that way in the NFL,” said Dungy. “A lot of it is just knowing what we’re doing and not having critical errors at the wrong time.”
With a second quarter that consists of likely playoff bound teams, including the Green Bay Packers, Titans and the Tom Brady-less New England Patriots, how the Colts respond this week may serve as an indication to their long term prospects.
According to defensive end Robert Mathis, who forced one of the crucial fumbles late last week, expectations should be that the Colts regain a familiar swagger this weekend, in an effort to claim their first home victory of the season against the Baltimore Ravens.
“It’s a world of difference, the biggest difference is confidence,” Mathis said. “This win is big for our morale and hopefully it will get us going and get our engine cranked up.”
