Colts 2021 Season Preview
Looking for 2021 Indianapolis Colts Predictions? What a difference timing makes. If this had been written a couple of weeks ago we might have been talking about the Colts as a sneaky Super Bowl team.
Now with Carson Wentz out for half the season the storylines are swirling about what the Colts will do to stay relevant until his return. The options are not great.
The rest of the team is really strong which is why it is such a disappointing development even though Wentz definitely has his share of detractors. Love the Nick Foles rumors for the extra drama value. Indy is definitely hard to peg right now.
NFL Colts Predictions & Handicapping Insight
2021/22 NFL Team Predictions – Indianapolis Colts
- Colts 2021 Win Total NFL Odds: 9 (Over +115/Under -135)
- Indianapolis Colts AFC South Odds: +180
- Indianapolis Colts AFC Championship Odds: +1800
- Indianapolis Colts 2022 Super Bowl Odds: +4500
Key Additions:
- QB Carson Wentz
- OT Eric Fisher
They made the big move to get Wentz this offseason. He is hurt but I still like the move in a general sense. Phillip Rivers was only going to take them so far.
Fisher has been effective in the league for some time. This is a good offensive line and should continue to be.
Key Losses:
- QB Jacoby Brissett
- QB Philip Rivers
- LB Anthony Walker
They thought they had the Q situation nailed with the acquisition of Wentz. Rivers retired but you have to bet they would have been loving having Brissett still in the fold. I think he can be an average starter in the NFL.
Darius Leonard got all the attention at linebacker and deservedlt so, it looked like he was making all of the the tackles. When he wasn’t it was Walker who was. You can’t pay everyone though and they decided to pay Leonard who just inked a big deal.
2021 Indianapolis Colts Predictions: Offseason Analysis
This is a very well run franchise that has made the playoffs in two of the past three seasons. They make smart decisions but are still feeling the effects of the abrupt retirement of Andrew Luck. The Wentz injury only magnifies that.
Getting a quality starter was supposed to push the team over the top. Wentz has played at a high lever in the past and the skill position players around him look promising. The right quarterback unlocks everything.
All of the other moves the Colts made were around the margins. GM Chris Ballard has done really well in the draft and in making big moves like the trade with San Francisco to bring in DeForest Buckner, who led the team in sacks a year ago. They let DE Justin Houston sign elsewhere but Kwity Paye is a similar player they took with their top draft pick.
Jacob Eason is going to be the starter at QN unless some moves are made between now and week 1. He has a big arm but nobody in the league is confident in his ability to be an NFL starter. It might not be fair but they have even broken down his college stats and nearly all of his numbers came against bad teams or off the classic first quarter script.
The defense was 8th in points allowed and the pressure is going to be on that group to not slip at all. It helped that they were +10 on turnovers but 4 picks came from nickle corner Kenny Moore II. That might not be repeatale.
Indy has to hope for a speedy recovery by Wentz and that the defense is good enough to withstand a super difficult early schedule. By the time he gets back on the field the season might be lost.
2021 Indianapolis Colts Win Total Prediction:
It is never good to lose your starting quarterback, but that loss is going to be especially damaging because the Colts have an extremely difficult schedule to start the season.
The first five opponents all won 10+ games a year ago and the last three in that group are all road games. There is a really good chance the team starts 0-5 and even with an extra game that is hard to overcome.
The only thing that may make this season less painful is that the AFC South is not very good. Jacksonville and Houston might be the two worst teams in the league.
After playing Tampa Bay on November 28th, none of their final 5 opponents were over .500 last season and might be playing out the string. If you believe in this team you might want to wait though and just back them in those games if they are still meaningful.
The NFL is the ultimate What If league. Finishing strong would require Wentz to both get healthy and play well right away. I am not sure those probabilities are high.
I see 6 or 7 wins on the schedule with the team the way it is. I know the markets are always changing with the news of the day and maybe they find a way to get the quarterback they need.I definitely would not make a bet dependant upon contributions from Wentz this season.
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