Source: Emilee Chinn / Getty
It is finally game week! The NFL season is so close you can taste it! Kansas City & Baltimore get things started on Thursday Night Football followed by Green Bay and Philadelphia on Friday night. On Sunday afternoon, Indianapolis and Houston square off in an important week one contest.
But before all of that, it’s time to take a step back and break the Colts games into four categories.
- Must Win – games that the Colts cannot afford to lose in order to make the playoffs
- Should Win – games that the Colts should win, but could lose depending on the circumstances
- Could Win – games that the Colts could be slightly favored, or slight underdogs heading in
- Probably Lose – games that the Colts are probably a field goal or a touchdown underdog in
These are grouped in relation to the playoff outlook and when examining your preferred sportsbook to place an over or under on the win total for Indianapolis.
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Which games are must win, should win, and could win for the Colts? was originally published on 1075thefan.com
1. Must Wins (5)
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- Denver Broncos
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- New York Giants
Basically, any team that doesn’t have a true answer at starting quarterback is a team that Indianapolis MUST defeat. If they fall to one of these teams, then there should be disappointment amongst fans.
2. Should Win (3)
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- Chicago Bears
- Tennessee Titans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
As it pertains to the Titans & Jags, those are specifically the home games at Lucas Oil Stadium. There is a growing belief that the Titans underneath Brian Callahan will be better than people think. It’s just contingent on the development of Will Levis. Indianapolis should beat Chicago following the first road and primetime game in the Caleb Williams era.
3. Could Win (6)
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- Tennessee Titans
- Houston Texans
- Green Bay Packers
- Miami Dolphins
- Jacksonville Jaguars
This grouping has the most teams in it from my perspective. Green Bay is a team that is in contention for representing the Super Bowl, assuming Jordan Love continues to grow. Both of the games against Houston fall underneath this category simply because of when they play their first game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Miami is an interesting team. They lost key parts on defense, but their offense could put up a big number considering their perimeter playmakers and the potential secondary struggles for Indianapolis. Everyone knows at this point the historic struggles for the Colts in Jacksonville.
4. Probably Lose (3)
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- Buffalo Bills
- New York Jets
- Detroit Lions
Buffalo was a fringe team for me in this category. There is a lot of turnover for the Bills offensively and defensively. I personally believe Josh Allen is the second best quarterback in the NFL and can will his team to victories every single week. I don’t see them not being near the top of the AFC standings this season. New York is also a very tricky team to evaluate simply because nobody knows how they will look with Aaron Rodgers. On paper, they should be competing with Buffalo for the AFC East division title. Their defense is legit and can really change the game. Finally, I view Detroit as one of the best teams in the NFL. They are my preseason prediction to make it to the Super Bowl out of the NFC.
