The Indianapolis Colts enter 2025-26 season with one of the longest playoff absences — four straight seasons.
For a franchise with a proud history and recent investments in cornerstone players, the pressure to return is mounting. Coming in behind the Houston Texans and tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars in The Athletic’s August 27 AFC South Preview, the Colts are doing everything to silence the doubters.
“The Colts are trying to end a four-year playoff drought, which is tied for the third-longest in the NFL,” James Boyd wrote. “Their quest to reach the playoffs again will fall heavily on the shoulders of Daniel Jones, who has supplanted Anthony Richardson as the team’s starting QB.”
Jones signed in March with the goal of reviving his career, and in turn, the Colts hope he can provide consistency in an offense already stocked with proven talent.
Jonathan Taylor remains one of the league’s premier running backs, Michael Pittman Jr. anchors the receiving corps, and rookie tight end Tyler Warren offers an intriguing weapon. If Jones can manage games effectively, this unit has enough firepower to keep Indianapolis competitive most weeks.
Colts’ Identity Shift
The big change this offseason comes under center, where Daniel Jones steps in as the starter, over Anthony Richardson. It’s a bold move, considering Jones arrives fresh off a dismal 2024 with the New York Giants, where he went 2-8 as a starter and was released midseason. Yet the Colts are confident that their roster stability will help guide them to a winning campaign.
The more dramatic overhaul comes on the other side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is gone, replaced by Lou Anarumo — the architect of Cincinnati’s creative defenses that thrived on disguised pressures and situational excellence. His aggressive style is a stark contrast to Bradley’s conservative approach, and the Colts expect it to pay immediate dividends.
Tied for No. 2 in the preseason power rankings with a projected record of 8-9, the Colts are one of the toughest teams to forecast in 2025. Their defense, on paper, looks ready to take a leap under Anarumo’s aggressive schemes. If that unit gels quickly, Indianapolis could ride it into playoff contention.
The wild card remains Jones. If he can avoid turnovers, stay healthy, and complement a strong supporting cast, the Colts could sneak into January football. If he falters, the team risks another year of mediocrity, wasting what could be one of the better rosters outside the quarterback position.
Defense Could Be ‘A Strength’ In 2025
Early in training camp, Shane Steichen highlighted the front seven — DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Laiatu Latu, Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam — as the heartbeat of the unit.
The Colts had one of the NFL’s worst defenses in 2024, finishing 29th in yards allowed. Steichen and GM Chris Ballard weren’t about to let that happen again, and this offseason they made it clear the defense would be rebuilt around toughness and accountability.
Anarumo’s track record speaks for itself: slowing down Patrick Mahomes in an AFC Championship, building top-10 pass defenses in Cincinnati, and consistently getting more from less. If he brings even half of that to Indy, the Colts could flip their biggest weakness into a strength overnight.
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