Last Updated on Setembro 14, 2026 5:48 pm by Erwin Noguera
Visão geral da equipe
The Colts enter 2026 chasing the season that got away. Indianapolis raced to an 8–2 start behind a resurgent Daniel Jones, commanding an offense that scored on a league-best 57.6% of its possessions, before a leg fracture and then a torn Achilles in Week 14 ended his year, and the Colts’ season unraveled with seven straight losses to close at 8–9. The bet in Indianapolis is that the first ten games were real: GM Chris Ballard re-signed Jones on a two-year, $88 million deal and brought back Alec Pierce, wagering that a healthy Jones can pick up where he left off.
The rest of the offseason prioritized getting younger and faster on defense. Ballard made ten outside free agent signings, including edge rushers Arden Key and Michael Clemons and interior linemen Jerry Tillery and Derrick Nnadi, and traded longtime captain Zaire Franklin to Green Bay for Colby Wooden, while Michael Pittman was also moved. A defense-heavy draft added linebacker CJ Allen, safety A.J. Haulcy, and edges George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry.
Análise da linha ofensiva
Protecting a quarterback returning from an Achilles tear is priority number one, and the Colts must do it without a familiar face: longtime right tackle Braden Smith departed for division-rival Houston. How quickly the reshuffled line settles, and how well it keeps Jones clean and the run game on schedule, will decide whether the offense can recapture its early-2025 efficiency.
Análise da Linha Defensiva
The front seven got a deliberate youth-and-speed makeover. Key and Clemons add fresh legs off the edge, Tillery, Nnadi, and Wooden deepen the interior rotation, and rookies Gumbs and Curry provide developmental pass-rush upside. The trade of Franklin removes the defense’s tone-setter, though, so a new generation of leaders has to emerge quickly for this unit to hold up in December.
Temporada da NFL de 2026
Semana 1:
Ravens x Indianapolis Colts | Domingo, 13 de setembro | 13h (horário do leste dos EUA) | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianápolis, IN
O Baltimore entra em campo como favorito fora de casa, com odds de -185 contra +154 do Indianapolis, e o total de pontos está em 49,5. Os Colts deram trabalho aos Ravens na temporada passada, liderados por um Daniel Jones em ascensão, mas Jones ainda está se recuperando de uma ruptura no tendão de Aquiles, o que complica a situação dos quarterbacks de Indianápolis para a estreia.
A motivated Jackson against a Colts team still sorting out its starting quarterback is a favorable spot for Baltimore, and an immediate test of how much of 2025’s early magic Indianapolis can recapture.
Semana 2
Colts at Kansas City Chiefs | Sunday, September 20 | 8:20 PM ET | GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Indianapolis heads to Arrowhead for Sunday Night Football as a sizable underdog at +235 on the moneyline against Kansas City’s -290, with the spread at 6.5 points and the total set at 48.5. The Colts opened with a home defeat to Baltimore and still have not settled their quarterback picture, with Daniel Jones working back from a torn Achilles, while the Chiefs close out Week 1 on Monday night against Denver in Patrick Mahomes’s first competitive football since surgery on a torn ACL and LCL.
The schedule is the hidden factor here: Kansas City plays twice in six days, with a quarterback on a rebuilt knee and a right tackle spot they never resolved in the preseason. Indianapolis is not winning this on talent, but 6.5 points against a team on a short turnaround is a friendlier spot than the price suggests, and the Colts at plus money are more live than +235 implies.
Chances de ganhar a divisão e o Super Bowl
Probabilidades de ganhar na AFC South: +250 to +370 depending on the book. Third choice behind Houston and Jacksonville, with model projections around 9.1 wins.
Chances de ganhar o Super Bowl: +4900 to +5000. A true long shot until Jones proves he’s all the way back.
Previsões
Overall Record: 9–8. The talent that started 8–2 is mostly still here, but the Achilles recovery and a reshuffled offensive line add real variance. A second-place division finish is the likeliest outcome.
Chances de playoff: A genuine bubble team, a healthy Jones through October puts them firmly in the Wild Card race.
Chances do Super Bowl: At +4900–+5000, only a fully healthy Jones and a fast-jelling defense make a deep run conceivable.
In summary, the Colts enter 2026 as the AFC South’s biggest wild card. If Daniel Jones returns to his 2025 form behind a stable line, this roster already proved it can play with anyone; if the recovery lingers, a retooled, younger defense may not be enough to keep pace in a division Houston and Jacksonville plan to fight over.
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