Football is officially back and the NFL will get underway on Thursday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys. For the Indianapolis Colts, they will start with back-to-back home games that won't be easy as they will welcome in the Seattle Seahawks followed by the Los Angeles Rams.
It's set to be a prove it year for the Colts after they traded for Carson Wentz in the offseason as they look to not only get back to the playoffs, but make a run as well.
With the 2021 season upon us, here are 4 bold predictions for the Colts' 2021 NFL season.
After an 0-2 start, the Colts will still make the playoffs
There are questions as to whether or not Wentz will even be available for the Colts in Week 1. The same goes for all-pro guard Quenton Nelson as both are recovering from foot surgery. Even if both are able to go, it's a safe assumption that some rust will have to be shaken off early.
Starting the season with the Seattle Seahawks isn't exactly an opponent that you can limp into the season against.
The Colts, with or without Wentz, will lose to the Seahawks in Week 1 and the Rams in Week 2 and still rally to make the playoffs.
Russell Wilson and Co. are restocked this season and will look to make a dent in a crowded NFC West division. Knowing the Colts' situation at quarterback has to have Seattle feeling like they are catching Indy at the perfect time to start the season.
LA will come to town in Week 2 and Matthew Stafford is set to take the Rams from a playoff team to a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
The rams appear to have all the pieces of the puzzle in place and now it comes down to how good Stafford can be in big game moments, something he rarely saw in his time with the Detroit Lions.
Assuming based off this prediction that the Colts start 0-2, they still get four games combined against the miserable Houston Texans and the rebuilding Jacksonville Jaguars. They also have home games against the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets and Mac Jones' New England Patriots. That's 7 more than winnable games for Indianapolis before even diving into other parts of the schedule.
Jonathan Taylor will lead the league in rushing
Entering his second year in the NFL, expectations are sky high for running back Jonathan Taylor.
Our second bold prediction is that he will lead the league in rushing.
Taylor finished 3rd in the NFL in rushing in his rookie season and that was with him missing one game entirely and getting 146 less carries than the leading rusher, Derrick Henry.
While the Tennessee Titans will lean on Henry yet again, the Colts will also be giving out large doses of Taylor.
Taylor had a timeshare in the Colts' backfield at different segments during the 2020 season and while some sort of combination of Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins will still be used, Taylor should see more than the 232 carries he did a year ago.
Indianapolis will lean on the run more this year given the thinning wide receiver corps they have and with plenty of questions about Wentz' health. Expect Taylor to tote it 20+ times a game.
Other candidates like Henry and Dalvin Cook will be in the mix but Taylor finished third in rushing in his first season and did so on far less carries which just won't be the case in 2021. He'll top the charts for the Colts this year.
Carson Wentz will start at least 14 games
This may appear like not a big deal at all but consider all the circumstances with Wentz.
He's coming off foot surgery that could have him miss the first game or two of the season for the Colts.
He's also coming off a season a year ago in where he was benched for then rookie Jalen Hurts. The problems were deep for the Philadelphia Eagles there's no doubting that, but Wentz' play in large part was abysmal too.
There are not only health questions for the Colts with Wentz, but also questions about whether or not he's even an above average quarterback in the league anymore.
Wentz will rebound and get the Colts to the playoffs and start at least 14 games along the process.
In his first 5 years in the league, Wentz has only started in every game in two of those seasons. Even if he misses one or two for the Colts, he will still start at least 14 of the 17 games and prove he still has gas left in the tank to be a real good quarterback in the NFL.
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