2020 NFL Power Rankings: Indianapolis Colts
Throughout the 2020 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.
Here is where the Indianapolis Colts rank in terms of average, best and worst:
- Average ranking: 14.2 (15th)
- Best ranking: 13th (Multiple)
- Worst ranking: 18th (NFL.com)
Below you will find a Week 6 roundup for the Colts in our consensus 2020 NFL Power Rankings.
The Athletic -- Rank: 13
The Colts are the team with the biggest difference between my ranking and EPR. The numbers say there's no reason to panic. I say there might be. Before the season, I wrote that the Colts' season would come down to one question: Is Philip Rivers cooked? I thought the team made a perfectly reasonable gamble on Rivers and picked Indianapolis to win the division. But five games in, the evidence suggests Rivers is the same guy he was last season. The raw numbers -- 70.8 percent completions, 8.0 YPA -- are perfectly fine. But Rivers' interception rate (3.2 percent) is nearly identical to what we saw last year (3.4 percent). He's playing behind a better offensive line, and it hasn't really mattered. Rivers threw two interceptions in the Colts' loss to the Browns (one was returned for a touchdown), and there was at least one more that could have been picked. Every dropback in the second half felt like a countdown to disaster. Rivers was called for intentional grounding from his own end zone, resulting in a safety. And he was off-target even when he had time. The Colts' defense produced a pair of second-half turnovers, and they got a special-teams touchdown. They still lost by nine. Indianapolis is 3-2 and gets the Bengals and Lions the next two games with a bye sandwiched in between. Maybe they'll figure things out. But it's hard not to be discouraged after that performance.
CBS Sports -- Rank: 13
Philip Rivers has to play better. His turnovers were killers against Cleveland. This team could be 5-0 were it not for his mistakes.
USA Today -- Rank: 13
They're not (currently) considering a warm seat for QB Philip Rivers ... even if he's giving Frank Reich multiple reasons (bad INTs) to justify a switch.
ESPN -- Rank: 14
Biggest weakness: Running game
Guard Quenton Nelson enjoys sporting a hat that reads, "Run the damn ball." Well, running the ball, a strength of the Colts last season, has been a struggle this season. After finishing seventh in the NFL in rushing in 2019, the Colts now are 19th in rushing yards per game (105.8) and 31st in yards per attempt (3.6). A big factor is the loss of starting running back Marlon Mack (Achilles), but another part is the offensive line not being as dominant as in years past. A better running game will lighten up what has become a heavy load on QB Philip Rivers' right shoulder. -- Mike Wells
Guard Quenton Nelson enjoys sporting a hat that reads, "Run the damn ball." Well, running the ball, a strength of the Colts last season, has been a struggle this season. After finishing seventh in the NFL in rushing in 2019, the Colts now are 19th in rushing yards per game (105.8) and 31st in yards per attempt (3.6). A big factor is the loss of starting running back Marlon Mack (Achilles), but another part is the offensive line not being as dominant as in years past. A better running game will lighten up what has become a heavy load on QB Philip Rivers' right shoulder. -- Mike Wells
NFL.com -- Rank: 18
Frank Reich said after Sunday's loss to the Browns that Philip Rivers was "the least of my worries." You wonder if the coach feels the same way behind closed doors after Rivers gave the Browns nine points -- on a pick-six and intentional-grounding penalty in the end zone for a safety -- in a 32-23 defeat. It's the second time this season Rivers' turnover-prone ways cost the Colts dearly in a loss. This wasn't all on the quarterback, however: Indy's defense was shredded by the Browns in the first half, raising concerns that the unit's No. 1 ranking entering Sunday was more the product of an easy schedule than anything else. This remains a very difficult team to judge.
Previous update: Indianapolis Colts Week 5 NFL Power Rankings Roundup
More Indianapolis Colts pages:
- Indianapolis Colts Mock Draft Roundup
- Indianapolis Colts Snap Counts
- Indianapolis Colts Franchise Leaders
- Indianapolis Colts Draft History
- Indianapolis Colts Schedule
- Indianapolis Colts Tickets
- 2021 NFL Mock Draft
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- 2020 NBA Mock Draft
- Fantasy Football Rankings
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