Indianapolis Colts still in the game
The AFC South is Colts territory. The NFL giants have dominated the division for almost a decade and it seemed like finally they would be dethroned. They were beaten and battered before they went up against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday and everyone
expected them to be crushed and the Jaguars to take the AFC South title. Even their playoff appearance was in doubt this season. The Colts practically have had a place reserved for them in the playoffs for the past decade. They haven’t missed the playoffs
since 1999.
The Colts didn’t come this far to just give up though, and they still have fight left in them. Peyton Manning’s Colts showed, once again this Sunday, the fighting spirit that has kept them going all these years. They threw a wrench into Jacksonville’s AFC
South designs when they beat the Jaguars and refused to play to their tune. “We define ourselves,” linebacker Gary Brackett said. “We don't let anyone outside our locker room define us.”
The Colts have a veteran core that the shell clings to. Veterans like Brackett, Manning, Dwight Freeney and Reggie Wayne have created a profile of what it means to wear the Indianapolis Colts uniform. The younger players take their cues from the Colts and
the franchise lives on. Colts President Bill Polian said that the veteran core players of the team all accepted their responsibility to the franchise and worked their hardest to get ready. He said that the younger players, many of whom have little or none
NFL experience looked up to and relied on the veterans in terms of preparations and practice. “And they do a h**l of a job. It takes a special effort to defeat them.”
The Colts might just be a shadow of the team they were last season but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a force to be reckoned with. Even with all their troubles they have somehow kept themselves in the race for the playoffs. This season the Colts had
to add 12 players to their roster who were not signed by any NFL team before the season started. Polian didn’t have many options in terms of team building but he isn’t the kind of person to give up. Though considering all the Colts had to deal with, the thought
did cross his mind on a few occasions.
“A couple of weeks ago, we had 11 starters out,” he said. “We don't often know who's going to be out there, but they fight for 60 minutes and you've got to be awfully proud of them,” adding that the Indianapolis Colts were a team that was easy to fall in
love with. Their resilience and determination has elevated them to the familiar AFC South first place but the journey is far from finished.
In the coming two weeks the Colts would face division rivals and try to keep their place in the standings. With a record of 8-6 the Colts are tied for first place with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Indianapolis would go to the Raiders' home next week and host
the Tennessee Titans in the final week. The Titans and the Raiders are both out of the running for the AFC South title and the playoffs.
For all the things that went wrong for the Colts, there were things that the Colts would be pleased about. One of them would have to be their schedule. Apart from the New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs and of course the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Colts have
not defeated any team with a winning record of .50 or higher. A win is a win and the Colts have enough wins now to have a shot at the playoffs.
“We're still in playoff mode, and that's the mentality we have,” Brackett said. “I'll tell you this: I'll bet no one wants to play the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs.”
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