Indianapolis Colts Look Like Legitimate Contenders

By Steve Ungrey on October 19, 2014

A few weeks ago, the Cincinnati Bengals looked like one of the hottest teams in the NFL. It’s amazing what a little time can do to those predictions.

Cincinnati looked completely lost and clueless at times on Sunday, and as a result the Indianapolis Colts scored a 27-0 shutout, and with that, the Colts regained their place in the AFC championship talk. Does the road to the AFC title go through the Denver Broncos? It might, but remember back to Week 1 when the Colts gave Denver fits during their nationally televised game.

What is it about these Colts that has people talking?

For starters, it is Andrew Luck. What can be said about the quarterback that hasn’t already been discussed? When Peyton Manning was allowed to leave for Denver and the Colts drafted Luck, the team gambled that everything would turn out alright, which is now much of an understatement when talking about Luck.

The third-year quartback found his rhythm and several receiving candidates like Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton and Dwayne Allen and have also found a running game, something that wasn’t in previous Colts offenses. Now that Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw appear to have hit a rhythm, teams can’t focus all of their energy on stopping the pass because the run can be dangerous. Luck has had a string of games over 300 yards, and with Richardson, Bradshaw and others combining for 171 yards rushing, everything looks good.

Did I mention defense? The Bengals were left with 135 total yards and only eight first downs, a result of the Colts’ sparkling defense.

With performances like this the Colts will be part of the AFC title landscape: with the New England Patriots look vulnerable in the AFC East, the AFC North looks like a war zone, and the San Diego Chargers looking like legitimate contenders in the AFC West. If the Colts continue to rise and continue their solidarity in moving towards the playoffs, games like these will only raise their visibility.