The Indianapolis Colts (6-5) are riding a three-game winning streak as we enter the final month and a half of the 2023 season.
Coming out of the bye week to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) at home was an impressive feat considering they did so by leaning on the ground game against Tampa Bay’s vaunted front. Of course, they did so without Lavonte David on the field, but they still did it.
In terms of the rankings, the Colts no longer find themselves in the 20s. Each of the polled outlets has the Colts in the mid-teens. The best spot in the rankings has Indy sitting at No. 12 with the worst spot coming in at No. 18.
Next to their ranking, the number in parentheses indicates the change from the previous week. A positive number means they’re moving up the power rankings.
Here’s where the Colts stand in the Week 13 power rankings:
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 15 (+1)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “Neither QB Anthony Richardson nor LB Shaquille Leonard are on the 53-man roster, but both were in Lucas Oil Stadium for Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay. They watched Indianapolis climb into the projected playoff field, motivation for the rehabbing rookie and classy former All-Pro as Leonard looks to continue his career elsewhere – maybe in Dallas or Philadelphia.”
Touchdown Wire
Author: Jarrett Bailey
Rank: 12 (+3)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “I know, I can’t believe the Colts are this high, either. But right now, they hold a playoff spot, and their offense is putting up points. It’s very impressive how well Shane Steichen has them playing right now.”
Bleacher Report
Author: NFL Staff
Rank: 15 (+4)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “Don’t look now, but if the season ended today, the Indianapolis Colts would be in the playoffs.
After getting past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, the Colts sit at 6-5 and in the No. 7 seed in the AFC bracket. As Sobleski pointed out, given all that’s happened to the team, that’s quite the achievement.
“This season hasn’t gone as planned for the Colts,” he said. “One could easily argue that it’s gone better. After last year’s disastrous campaign, Indianapolis currently owns a 6-5 record and a wild-card playoff spot. Obviously, plenty can change over the next six weeks. Even so, this squad has already dealt with another coaching hire, a new offensive system and accompanying philosophies, Jonathan Taylor’s holdout/lingering ankle injury, Isaiah Rodgers’ suspension and subsequent release, Anthony Richardson’s season-ending shoulder injury, Grover Stewart’s suspension and Shaquille Leonard’s surprise release this year. Indianapolis’ current record is a testament to what Shane Steichen and Co. are building and its highly promising.”
Now, with six games to go in the season, nothing is certain. But the Colts have just two games left against teams with winning records (a Week 15 tilt with the Pittsburgh Steelers and a Week 18 date with the Houston Texans) and both those games are at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Ten wins aren’t out of the question. And 10 wins likely means the postseason.”
ESPN NFL Nation
Author: Stephen Holder
Rank: 18 (–)
Link to article
Author’s Take:
“Offense: 20
Defense: 19
Special teams: 18
Offensively, the Colts’ underwhelming ranking might not match up with their 6-5 record. But their ability to win even without strong offensive production was evidenced by victories in Weeks 9 and 10 — the Colts’ two worst games this season in terms of total yardage (they averaged 231 yards in those two contests). The defense bailed them out in both those games, another example of the Colts’ lack of complementary football this season. And whatever special teams blunders they’ve had are somewhat offset by the kicking of Matt Gay, who has already matched a career high with seven field goals of 50 yards or longer through 11 games.”
Sporting News
Author: Vinnie Iyer
Rank: 15 (+3)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “The Colts are treading water as an AFC wild-card hopeful, taking advantage of a weak South vs. South schedule. They are getting enough from their running game and defense with Gardner Minshew fearless in making complementary pass plays. Shane Steichen deserves some rookie coaching love in the division, too.”
Pro Football Network
Author: Dalton Miller
Rank: 17 (–)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “The Colts offense was moving and grooving against the unimpressive Buccaneers defense. They managed seven separate drives with three or more first downs while only going three-and-out on three of their 11 drives.
Taylor has really gotten things going in recent weeks. He managed 91 yards on 15 attempts despite missing out on a 20+ yard run, meaning he was consistently picking up chunk runs throughout the day. That’s also a testament to the Colts’ offensive line, who had Moss as the league’s leading rusher at one point.”
NFL.com
Author: Eric Edholm
Rank: 13 (+3)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “We gave you the premonitory playoff warning in last week’s rankings, and that was when the Colts were in the AFC’s No. 9 slot. Thanks to Sunday’s solid victory over the Bucs and losses by Buffalo and Houston, the Colts have slid into the seventh and final playoff spot — for now. Why hasn’t there been more Shane Steichen Coach of the Year buzz? Perhaps it’s because his offense has been tepid at times, even considering the QB situation, and the Colts lost three straight games not long ago. But now they’ve quietly won three straight, with the Jonathan Taylor – Zack Moss duo punishing Tampa Bay for four quarters Sunday. Michael Pittman Jr. has been on a great clip since mid-October, too, and his free-agent price tag keeps going up with every big game he stacks … But that’s a conversation for another day. Right now, there’s a playoff murmur in Indy.
EDITOR’S UPDATE: After publishing on Tuesday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Jonathan Taylor suffered a thumb injury that will require surgery force him to miss a couple of weeks.”
Yahoo Sports
Author: Frank Schwab
Rank: 16 (+1)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed played 117 of a possible 120 snaps at linebacker Sunday. They combined for 13 tackles and the Colts won again. The Shaquille Leonard release was surprising, but part of why his playing time had been lessened was that the Colts were in good shape at linebacker without him.”
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 13 (+2)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “Shane Steichen has done a nice job getting this team to 6-5 and in the playoff race. With a soft schedule, they have a real chance to make it.”
The Athletic
Author: Josh Kendall
Rank: 15 (+5)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “The Colts are the seventh seed at the moment and play only two more teams with a winning record — the Steelers and Texans. And this is with Gardner Minshew at quarterback. Jonathan Taylor had his second 90-plus-yard rushing game of the season (91 on 15 carries), and Indianapolis is 11th in the league in scoring (23.3). Shane Steichen has entered the Coach of the Year conversation.”
