The Indianapolis Colts have to succeed in 2025, or there will be complications with no clear direction for Shane Steichen, Anthony Richardson, or Chris Ballard. For the franchise, it’s all about the playoffs and possibly pushing to take the AFC South from the Houston Texans.
The Colts also put up a show early in free agency by signing cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Camryn Bynum. Despite these additions and others, Yahoo! Sports analyst Ben Fawkes believes the Colts rest at a 6.5 over/under for wins during the 2025 season.
The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars join the Colts here, a duo of teams that have lacked recent success. In short, this isn’t the territory Indianapolis wants to find itself. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel in this regard.
The signings and the addition of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo can help Indy overcome that mark of 6.5 wins. If the Colts can’t achieve more than six or seven victories, there’s no postseason berth, which is likely the end of the current setup from the front office to certain players and coaches.
The progression of Richardson may decide how many wins the Colts achieve. While there’s the off chance that the new QB signing Daniel Jones supplants Richardson as the starter, the likelihood isn’t high.
Regardless of which signal-caller starts under center, the Colts must have a winning mentality on offense and defense. Last year, Richardson was inconsistent, inaccurate, and looked nearly unprepared at times. Luckily, he’s been putting in the work with quarterback biometrics expert Chris Hess to smooth out his fundamentals, hopefully ironing any deficiencies in his throwing.
As for the defense, Gus Bradley established nothing more than a flat approach that kept Indy’s defenders in a tunnel. Opposing offenses, pass and run, were able to decipher Bradley’s gameplans quickly, often exploiting them with safe passes or runs directly up the gut.
The Colts’ roster looks better, and the coaching staff has a new life with Anarumo and multiple fresh faces on the defensive staff. With all these factors in play and a new approach from general manager Ballard to free agency, the Colts have a great shot at winning at least nine games, with aspirations for more.
We’ll have to see how the rest of free agency and the draft shakes out for the Colts, as they can ill-afford another sad season with owner Jim Irsay at the end of his patience for mediocrity.