To say the Indianapolis Colts Season ended on a sour last season would be an understatement. The Colts went into the final two games of the year needing to just win one to make the playoffs. After a lackluster performance vs the Las Vegas Raiders the Colts just needed one win to make the playoffs. That game was against the league's worst team the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts lost after a complete meltdown from the entire team including their QB Carson Wentz. The Colts made some off season moves to help their team get even better this season and to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
The first move the Colts made was trading QB Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders for a third round pick and bringing in veteran QB and former league MVP Matt Ryan. While Ryan’s best years are behind him, Ryan still has a lot of good football left in him. And as we have seen in recent years with guys like Matt Stafford and Tom Brady who have won in their first seasons with their new team there is no question the Colts Organization expects the same from Matt Ryan this season. But should they?
The Colts went into the offseason with two major questions. Who is going to play Right Tackle and who is going to be WR2 next to Michael Pittman? The Colts have seemingly answered both of those questions. The Colts are making 2018 second round pick Braden Smith their starting Right Tackle answering the question there. Now the receiver question is a little more less certain. The Colts number one receiver is a no-brainer that is Michael Pittman, but there are other guys at the position that have garnered a lot of questions from analysts and fans. The main question being who is the other guy opposite Michel Pittman. The likely number 2 receiver for the Colts is 2019 second round pick Parris Campbell. Campbell showed some superstar flashes last year in several games including one against the Houston Texans where Campbell took a 51 yard bomb to the house. The play-making ability of Campbel has never been a question, it's been his health. Can he stay healthy? That's the million dollar question. The Colts also tried to answer the WR2 question in this year's draft with their 2nd round pick Alec Pierce from Cincinnati. Pierce is a big play, jump ball receiver where if you just get it to him he will make the catch. But the questions still remain is he ready to be that number 2 guy next to Pittman. As for the defense?
The Colt's defense looks to remain good again this season even despite losing their DC Matt Eberflues to the Bears. The Colts made a trade with the before-mentioned Las Vegas Raiders acquiring Yannick Ngakoue the veteran pass rusher to help sure up that defensive line. The Colts also added superstar Corner and former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore to their secondary. On defense, the Colts seem to have improved and gotten better on that side of the ball.
So to answer the question as to if Matt Ryan will follow in the footsteps of Tom Brady and Matt Stafford and win a Superbowl in his first season on a new team we will have to wait and see. While the Colts did sure up their defense there still remain some questions on the offensive side of the ball even despite having the league's leading Rusher Johnathan Taylor. So with all that being said my prediction for the Colts is 11-6 this season and at least one playoff win.
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