Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Indianapolis Colts (1-1-1) found themselves on the right side of 20-17 upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs (2-1) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 3.
The previous roundup of power rankings buried the Colts as a team left for dead. There was good reason for that considering the 24-0 no-show in Jacksonville the week prior. But the Colts bounced in a big way by taking down one of the league’s best teams.
The highest the Colts moved up was to No. 14 in the power rankings while most publications have them between the 16-25 range.
Here’s a roundup of where Indy sits in the power rankings going into Week 4:
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 16 (+16)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “Yes, they’re ricocheting throughout these rankings, much as their collective play has been all over the place. But maybe new QB Matt Ryan is starting to settle in after delivering an upset of K.C. … and maybe he’s got a nifty new weapon in 6-7 rookie TE Jelani Woods, who scored twice Sunday.”
Touchdown Wire
Author: Mark Lane
Rank: 14 (+9)
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Author’s Take: “Beating the top team in the conference has its reward. The Colts finally started to look like the team many picked to be a contender in the AFC South. Matt Ryan also looked like his old self with 27-of-37 passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns. The division is still open, and the Colts have a decent chance to take the crown for the first time since 2014.”
Bleacher Report
Author: NFL Staff
Rank: 16 (+10)
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Author’s Take: “After being embarrassed in Jacksonville in Week 2, no team in the league needed to wash the stink off more than the Indianapolis Colts. But with a matchup on deck against the high-flying Chiefs, no soap appeared to be forthcoming for the Colts.
It wasn’t especially pretty, but the Colts rallied Sunday to stun the Chiefs and earn their first victory of the year. After the win, Colts quarterback Matt Ryan applauded his teammates for pushing through their recent struggles.
“Sometimes you have a game where it’s just not right and you have to tighten things up, but you can’t be uptight,” Ryan said. “You have to be loose enough to believe we’re going to make these plays.”
The win doesn’t fix all that ails the Colts. Indy’s floundering offense struggled again, barely cracking 250 yards. But on some level, that doesn’t matter. How the Colts won was less important than finding a way to break into the win column.
“After needing a fourth-quarter comeback just to tie the lowly Houston Texans in Week 1 then being throttled by the Jaguars the following week, the struggling Colts managed a late comeback victory against the Chiefs despite major issues in pass protection and a stagnant offense for most of the game,” Sobleski said. “Kansas City certainly made its fair share of mistakes, particularly late in the contest with a missed field goal, a backbreaking 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty after stopping Indianapolis on third down and an uncharacteristic Patrick Mahomes interception in crunch time.
“The Colts needed help to get off the schneid and got it. They still aren’t the team many expected coming into the season, but a surprising victory against a top opponent could help propel Indianapolis to far better football moving forward.”
ESPN NFL Nation
Author: Stephen Holder
Rank: 20 (+5)
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Author’s Take: “Matt Ryan is finding himself in a familiar situation, one reminiscent of his recent seasons with the Falcons: Shaky offensive line play and unproven passing targets are limiting his effectiveness. As a result of the heavy pass rush, Ryan is struggling with protecting the football. He has already fumbled seven times. But the veteran has showed composure when needed, like on the 43rd game-winning drive of his career Sunday versus the Chiefs, when he completed 8 of 10 pass attempts.”
Sporting News
Author: Vinnie Iyer
Rank: 18 (+9)
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Author’s Take: “The Colts pulled a classic game under Frank Reich: Digging deep for a big win against the Chiefs at home when their backs were against the wall after two lousy road performances. They should have more confidence they can beat anybody again with a clean game plan even without a dominant Jonathan Taylor.”
List Wire
Author: Barry Werner
Rank: 23 (+9)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “That’s what Matt Ryan was brought to Indy to do: Lead game-winning drives. Would anyone believe the Colts are [1-1-1] with the win over KC? Didn’t think so. Next: vs. Tennessee Titans”
Pro Football Network
Author: Dalton Miller
Rank: 19 (+10)
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Author’s Take: “A week after the Colts looked like they could be one of the five worst teams in the NFL, they beat one of the five best teams in the league. How very NFL of them that is.
The NFL has become a show like college football. It’s as unpredictable as ever. The randomness of teams week-to-week and play-to-play make predictions a practice in futility.
Indianapolis completely disrupted the Chiefs’ rushing attack and did everything they could to stop Travis Kelce from killing them. Kansas City didn’t look sharp offensively, but the Colts deserve credit for rebounding from a week ago.”
NFL.com
Author: Dan Hanzus
Rank: 23 (+3)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “There are still multiple areas in which the Colts must improve, but the big picture coming out of Week 3 was very pleasant: Indy knocked off Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in a win that Frank Reich’s team desperately needed following a wretched start to the season. The defense deserves major credit for keeping Mahomes in check, culminating in Rodney McLeod’s game-sealing interception in the final seconds. Matt Ryan’s stat line tells the story of progress, but the veteran was sacked five more times, fumbling twice behind a surprisingly leaky offensive line. The 37-year-old Ryan is a statue at this stage — this entire experiment always hinged on a major protection upgrade for the former MVP, who was sacked 40-plus times in each of his final four seasons in Atlanta. He’s received the opposite of that.”
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 17 (+8)
Link to article
Author’s Take: “That was a nice bounce-back victory against the Chiefs. The defense played well and Matt Ryan made enough plays to win it.”
