Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: Germaine Pratt Signed | Alec Pierce, Kenny Moore II Improving

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Indianapolis Colts have made a big signing here mid-season, reuniting Jermaine Pratt with Lou Anna Rumo. Let's get to it. You are Locked-on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thank you all for making Locked-on Culture first listen today and every day. part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every single day. Today's episode is brought to you by Fanduel.

Starting point is 00:00:35 Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Hello, everyone. My name is Zach Hickshaw, resident philner to horseshoe huddle.com. And my partner in crime, Jake Arthur, is our credentialed boots on the ground over at Roundtable Sports. Make sure you check it out over there. We've got our usual rundown here on Wednesday.

Starting point is 00:00:55 We're going to talk about the news and notes, the first injury report of the week, and notable signing that the Colts made. Then we're going to talk about how the Colts are the number one seed in the AFC, not just the AFC South, the whole AFC as of right now. We're going to talk about how they've gotten here and what's kind of been key to the success of this team to start the season. But Jake, let's start with some news and notes here. Obviously, the biggest thing before we get to the injury report,

Starting point is 00:01:20 the Colts made a big roster edition signing Jermaine Pratt, the linebacker that spent most of his career with Louana Ruma with Cincinnati Bengals, little short stint to start this season with the Raiders actually missed the Colts Raiders game this past weekend, presumably because he was working his way out of that situation with the Raiders. It was on the market for less than 24 hours and he ultimately signed with the Colts. So in corresponding move, Joe Botchi was placed on IR with an, I think it was an undisclosed

Starting point is 00:01:49 injury, right? Yeah, we don't know what it is yet. We don't know what the injury is yet, but one bangle replacing another bangle. Germain Pratt is likely to be the new starting linebacker. alongside Zaire Franklin. And I think it can come as early as this upcoming weekend, right, Jake? Yeah, I mean, everyone we've talked to about it, you know, had Jermaine Pratt himself, Shane Steichen.

Starting point is 00:02:09 They're all kind of taking a, yeah, let's wait and see type of approach. But what we've already seen with Xavier and Howard and Mike Hilton, those guys hit the ground running and started practically right away. Like they did not have to have any sit time. They started right away. With Pratt, you kind of wonder, though, how much of a road. rotation they'll keep up there. It really is only going to be Austin a GK at this point because McGrone has been released and Bacchi is on IR. So it's probably going to be Zaire and Jermaine Pratt

Starting point is 00:02:41 and a GK there. I mean, you might put Alubi in there, but he or Muma, but they haven't played very many snaps. So yeah, I imagine Pratt's going to see a healthy amount. I mean, from 2019 to 2024, all but like four games of his career. He's been in this system. So, So I'm fairly certain he's going to play a pretty healthy amount as long as he's physically able to, which that has not been the problem. I mean, he's been playing with the Raiders all up until last week, which, by the way, trying to figure out what's up with that, don't know anything yet. Pete Carroll and Jermaine Pratt were both relatively non-committal, just basically saying it just didn't work out. I asked Shane Stike, and he was like, I don't got anything for you on that one. So maybe a report will come out at some point telling us more.

Starting point is 00:03:25 but I don't know. But yeah, I think he's probably going to play pretty quickly. And it's funny how all of the roads, all offseason since February, have finally led us to hear where it's week six now in Jermaine Pratt is finally a cold. Kind of like how we said Mike Hilton would eventually find his way here as well. Yeah, we have one more. Trey Hendrickson is the final infinity stone to put on the gauntlet here. We'll see if that one actually comes through as well.

Starting point is 00:03:50 But yeah, Jermaine Pratt, I think he's going to step into an immediate role as, again, just more of a rundown guy. I think a GK will get some of the pass-down looks, but the Colts run so much dime on passing downs anyway that they usually don't have that second linebacker on the field. So this isn't a major role that Pratt's coming over here to fill. It's still like a good 60 to 70% of the defensive snaps, but it's not the most high leverage snaps that we're looking for him to fill here.

Starting point is 00:04:18 He just has to come in here, fit against the run, not get pulled out of position by motion and window dressing on offense. and make his tackles. He actually has been pretty good at tackling this year. After coming off a year last year, where he had a lot of mistackles with the Bengals, I think only one mistackle through the first four weeks of the season to start this year. So it seems like that's hopefully going to work out here

Starting point is 00:04:38 as something that can solidify that linebacker two void that the Colts have had all season. Another notable roster move that we actually didn't put in our notes here, but we needed to touch on because it's obviously the most important position in football. Spencer Schrader was placed on injured reserved. He is officially out for the season. and very unfortunate with the start that he had. I think he, what, made 27 to 28 kicks to start the year, including extra points. But as a replacement, the Colts are bringing in one of the few kickers in the world that I actually enjoy talking about.

Starting point is 00:05:07 And that is Michael Badgley, Badgeley, the Money Badger coming here. I mean, I, look, guys, I don't like kickers very often, but if you can give me a good nickname on a kicker, like, there's something there for me. So we get the Money Badger back. He spent one year of the Colts back in 2021. Jake, I'm assuming, you guys, you guys haven't talked to Brian Mason, I guess, after the signing, right? Because I'm assuming he would go on a whole spiel about, like, the trajectory of the kicks and stuff like that. It came out literally, like, right after we talked to him on Tuesday. So he acknowledged they were working out kickers on Tuesday, but the fact that it was Badgley specifically being signed came out later.

Starting point is 00:05:49 But Shane Steikins had him for three years. Badgeley is obviously, this is his third stint with the Colts. So there's a lot of familiarity there. I mean, they got to give him up to speed quick. I am, I mean, his workout obviously went pretty well. Shane said he was accurate, looked good in there. But he tore a hamstring last offseason, and that's why he's not with the Lions anymore. So we'll see.

Starting point is 00:06:13 I mean, obviously they know that. So they're going to check into his health and make sure he looks good before he kicks. But we'll see. He's not been a great beyond 50-yard kicker in his career. I think I'm I think I heard something where he was like one of the worst 50 yard kickers over the last X amount of years but when I was looking at it it looked like he had like just a meltdown from 50 plus like one year in his career so like the bulk of his misses there I think came one year but otherwise he's got to touch and go yeah I mean look it helps coming to an offense where they're just going to score every time they touch the ball so you just get some extra point reps and stuff every now even the field goals are from like 20. 27 yards. Yeah. Yeah, if they don't score, they're still in the red zone.

Starting point is 00:06:58 So come here, coast a little bit, money badger, make all your kicks under 40 yards, and let's get to the Super Bowl this year. But all joking aside, those are our transactions out of the way. I don't think I missed any other. No, I think those are all our transactions the last couple of days. And then getting to the first injury report of the week, we'll be kind of quick here. Some good news out. Pierce is back at practice.

Starting point is 00:07:20 We saw, who else was back in practice? Kenny Moore did not practice day. He was out. Do you have the full injury report in front of you, Jake? If you want to go do that real quick? Yeah, I got it here. So Alec Pierce was back. Now, obviously last week, he practiced in full Wednesday and Thursday, but did not on Friday.

Starting point is 00:07:36 And then obviously did not clear the concussion protocol. He still in the concussion protocol, but did practice in full. Yep. Let's see. Grover Stewart practiced in full, which is always good because I feel like whenever a bicep is mentioned, it's torn. They're out for the year. It's bad news. but for him, he was a full participant in the first available practice.

Starting point is 00:07:57 Braden Smith was a rest. Kenny, again, he didn't practice, but they said they were going to work him out today. I talked to him today for the first time since the injury, and he seems optimistic. And, you know, I asked him, I was like, obviously, Achilles is a bad word for an athlete. Like, why was their confidence to not put you on IR? And he's like, when it happened, there was still flexibility and mobility in the Achilles. And it just kind of needed some rest, just. generally speaking they felt confident in that they're not naive to the fact that that could get

Starting point is 00:08:28 much worse so uh what we'll see still hoping for the best for him but sounds like they'll ramp him up a little bit coming up here uh goods and still out with the groin and then tyquin lewis did not practice with an illness those usually clear themselves up in the coming day so as long as he gets some sort of practice in before the end of the week louis will probably find they're leading sacker i might add okay yeah and then brayden smiths I saw he missed today, but that was just rest, luckily. So even the couple surprise ads there, like Lewis and Smith, it doesn't seem like their status for this upcoming game is really going to be in much doubt,

Starting point is 00:09:03 which is a great sign for the Colts. And then they're getting healthier with hopefully Pierce being able to go this week. And then Grover Stewart, that was my big question these last couple days, where they kept talking about the biceps and they were still evaluating. For him to come out here and log a full practice is, like, perfect news that I needed here on a Wednesday. yeah absolutely again because when i heard when they announced it in the press box i was like oh god we're going to be told he's out for the year on monday and grover's just built different man you know but again huge bullet dodge because as much as you can't afford to lose a guy like de forest buckner

Starting point is 00:09:38 you also really cannot afford to lose a grover stewart in your defense or you're going to become one of the worst run defenses in the NFL overnight yeah yeah no for sure and grover stewart's been vital this year heck i mean one of the biggest plays of the game This past Sunday was him deflecting that ball for an interception. That's a difference between seven points for the opposing offense and you getting the ball inside your own territory and being able to go up three scores soon after that. So Grover Stewart's been vital for the Colts. Luckily, they'll get him back this week.

Starting point is 00:10:07 And that's all we have for our news and notes to start the show. We're going to dive now into how the Colts are the number one team in the AFC through a little over a month of play. There's a lot of factors here that we're excited to talk about. All right. The NFL season is in full swing, and Fanduil has an offer that you don't want to miss. Check this one out. All right. So right now, new customers can bet just five bucks, and you'll get 300 backing bonus bets if you win. That's right. You just pick a bet, put down five bucks, and if it hits, you'll unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the entire app. It makes watching football even more exciting when you got a little something riding on the action.

Starting point is 00:10:47 Maybe your team is not playing and you want to find a little way to up the ante. It's perfect, special feel is primetime games. Whether you're a casual fan or you just love diving into the stats, Fandall makes the game day experience so much better. So what are you waiting for? Visit fandle.com to download the Fandul app today and get started. Welcome back everydayers. We are talking about your number one overall seed Colts right now,

Starting point is 00:11:16 sitting pretty at 4 and 1. They're 4 and 0 in the AFC as well. we've been talking about how important it's been to bank those in conference wins so not only zack are they number one in the afc they're number one in the entire league right now like they hold the number one overall seat in the entire NFL obviously things will even out a little bit but i think we can at least say this team is legitimately good for the arguments of which i'm sure you and i've both heard plenty of from opposing fan bases of they haven't played any one blah blah blah all right well you can only beat who's right in front of you.

Starting point is 00:11:52 And not only are they beating bad teams, they're killing them. They have three wins of 20 plus points this year, which is unheard of in the first five weeks. They went toe to toe with a team like the Broncos and wound up winning. And that was a back and forth game. Really should have beaten the Rams as well. That's another kind of upper echelon team. So this team is for real. So you've got to look at it.

Starting point is 00:12:15 And, you know, they've definitely made some key additions this year, Daniel Jones. you know, the marquee, of course, right there. But Charbary's word can't bind them. They have just been so much more aggressive. And you can tell they're in win now mode because at the rate they are actually adding and churning and bringing in new notable players is unlike anything we've seen really since Ryan Grigson.

Starting point is 00:12:40 So when you look at this, Zach, again, regardless of if they wind up being the third seed in the AFC, the number one seed or a wildcard team, why are they good? Like what's working well for them? Everything. I mean, right now, it's kind of one of those heaters where just like everything feels like it's working.

Starting point is 00:13:00 And don't get me wrong, they've had some false steps and some missteps in this early portion of the season, notably a lot of things in that Rams game. But, I mean, if we look at what's contributing to success, it's kind of just everything, from the processes to the coaching, to the players on the field,

Starting point is 00:13:18 to offense, defense, special teams. I mean, you can, you can really single out so many good things right now. I mean, if we just want to go with the offense right now, they're a top two offense in football, top three offense in football, in just about every single metric from passing to rushing to, I mean, gosh, they're just a well-oiled machine on that side of the ball. And it's just hard to contain them whatsoever because they attack you from so many different angles. They have the superstar running back,

Starting point is 00:13:44 the quarterback that is playing at a really high-level pre-and-post snap. They have this litany of weapons that they can just throw the ball to at will. And it doesn't matter. Like, you don't know who to game plan for in the wide receiver room. It can be a Pittman game one game. It can be a Downs game. It could be a Pierce game. It could be a Warren game.

Starting point is 00:14:01 Heck, it can be an Ashton dueling game, apparently. We can have dueling games. We had a game with A.D. Mitchell leading the team in receiving yards against the rands. Like, there are so many different ways they can attack you on offense. And they have a pretty good offensive line up front, too, especially when they're all healthy. Going to the defense, I mean, it hasn't been as perfect as. the offense, but they force turnovers. They have seven takeaways through five games. They have these havoc plays that they create at really opportune moments. And they're essentially this bend

Starting point is 00:14:29 don't break unit that will throw these curb balls at you that knock you off kilter and get you into those third and longs. And then from there, it's just getting you off the field. And when you pair that with this top two to three offense on the other side of the field, it's a pretty hard thing to attack this team so you would think maybe the one area that they could be exploitable is the third area of football which is the special teams unit and the special teams has been stealing points for the colts all year we talk about with spencer schrader's like what 27 of 28 on his kicks this season he's been very reliable when when he was out there and healthy we'll see if that takes a step back they've been getting better at their kick and punt coverage punting has

Starting point is 00:15:08 actually been fantastic for the colts number one in net yardage despite only the seven punts so not Not much of a work out there for the punt team, but they've been good there. And then there's been multiple times where they blocked kicks, blocked punts and stolen points for the offense and defense and help this team win games. So, yeah, I just think everything. I mean, I think that's all the nerdy stuff there, but just more of the like, you know, aspects of football. There's a mature level to this team. They don't get too high. They don't get too low.

Starting point is 00:15:35 There's accountability with this team. If guys make mistakes, they're not just continually going out there. they're getting other players out there who are hungry and ready to go. So we could really just go on list and tangents here about all the reasons why the Colts are one of the best teams in football. And even if this does even out, because yes, you're not going to play the Raiders every week. You're not going to play the Dolphins every week. You're not going to play the Titans every week. So yes, there will be some more hard fought games for this Colts team going forward.

Starting point is 00:16:02 But I have no reason to believe that they're not going to be a competitive team in a lot of these games, if not the favorite in a lot of these games. I think they have a lot of good things going for them. They're a mature and ready football team that is just raring to go this year. So, yeah, just everything's clicking for them right now. They're on a heater, and it feels like everything they're throwing at the wall is sticking. And they're not being complacent either, not sitting on their hands and saying, like, okay, this is what we got. They're making moves to get better. They're making lineup changes when they have to.

Starting point is 00:16:31 This feels like a team that is poised to do some good things this year. Yeah, it's not been common that we've seen a Colts team. team be so well-rounded and play so complimentary well. But when they have, they've been really, really good. And I don't want to compare them to like the Peyton Manning Colts, but like those Peyton Manning era Colts, they were usually very good in all three phases, or at least like had some sort of special ability on defense, like the pass rush, or they had a Bob Sanders, or they were really good at taking the ball away. There was a couple Andrew Luck teams like that as well but they are so complimentary which then trickles over to the coaching staff

Starting point is 00:17:14 and feeling comfortable in calling whatever they want you know they're they're not no one nothing's being held back right now everyone's totally comfortable and i think everything's flowing very well like you mentioned on offense daniel jones is pulling the strings of shane stuyke and system very very well jonathan taylor is the nfl's leading rusher that offensive line is keeping jones clean and they're opening up run lanes for Taylor. We've also seen the diversity in their run game and how they're able to do things inside the tackles and outside. It's all working very well.

Starting point is 00:17:47 Quentin Nelson is playing outstanding ball. And then the receivers, I think they're looking as complete as they have in a while, but your rookie, Tyler Warren, is the one leading the team in receiving. So you're just getting a lot of things you haven't really had. Like Shane Steichen hasn't had a tied in before. He hasn't had good quarterback play before.

Starting point is 00:18:07 while he's been with the Colts, that is. So everything's going really there well offensively. And then defensively, like, the pass rush is fine. It could definitely be better, but it's not horrendous. Like you said, very timely things. They're able to, like, the blitzes are really good. And they're not going into a shell when mistakes happen. I think a really good example is Zaire Franklin gets called for unnecessary roughness.

Starting point is 00:18:29 Very next play, he comes out and forces, like, a 14-yard loss on a sack. It's like, this team is not beating themselves up for very long. and one of the big problems, Xavier and Howard is not a problem anymore. I mean, not to throw dirt on the guy, but like that was like the weakest part of the defense. Like that was a clear disadvantage they had. But taking the ball away and then coming up with opportune,

Starting point is 00:18:54 like pressure and opportune moments, always going to be valuable. And then I was very surprised to hear you mentioned the kicking game. You know, Spencer Schrader was leading the NFL in scoring and for as porous as the offense was in the red zone coming into last week, which they finally pitched a perfect game in the red zone. But as porous as they were, whenever they would stall out in the red zone, Schrader was there to bail them out.

Starting point is 00:19:19 And then obviously Rigoberto Sanchez. And then the return game as well. I haven't checked this week, but I know going through last week, I think they were a top three team in kickoff returns as well. Ashton Doolin and Anthony Gould were doing really, really well. so there's there's nowhere on this team where they rank poorly like everything's been going pretty well so to say everything's going well it's it's really not lip service yeah i think they're sixth right

Starting point is 00:19:46 now an average return distance per per kick return which is still very very good honestly they'd be like top two or three of duelin's return touchdown would have counted this past week yeah uh so that definitely hurt him uh but yeah no everything's just clicking and one thing i want to add too is i think on offense and defense, the very unique aspect of this team is just diversity of attack on both sides of the ball. Mina Kimes actually mentioned this really well on her, on her ESPN appearance the other day where she was talking about on defense, the Colts drop defensive ends into coverage more often than most teams. They blitz nickel corners and safeties more often than most teams. They do these simulated pressures and change the look pre and post snap more than most teams.

Starting point is 00:20:25 And that's what's creating this confusion in this way for this defense to have success. And then on offense, again, we're getting this diversity of attack and how they're winning games. It can be a naked bootleg game against the Titans. It can be an all-screen game to Warren and Jonathan Taylor can be all double moves against the Miami Dolphins. Like, they have this way that they can attack you in so many different ways on both sides of the football. And it's just an element of a good team. And Rich Wheeler here says in our comments, a guy who's always here, we love you, Rich, says that Kayling gave a great interview on Good Morning Football this week, saying so much synergy across the whole team right now. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:20:59 I think it's a great way to put it. It really is a lot of synergy. They're doing a lot of great things organizationally, and this team's ready to go. So if you weren't a believer after the first game or the first two games or the first three games, whatever it was, I mean, I don't know how you're not believing right now. They just shown it over and over again, and they will have more losses going forward. Like, they're not going to finish this year with one loss because that's not how football works, but I feel very comfortable where this team is going. It's the most optimistic I felt about a Colts team in my time covering the course. Colts since 2018.

Starting point is 00:21:31 That includes the Andrew Luck season in 2018. So I think they're on a good pace right now. And I think they're going to be one of those teams. We're talking about highly by the end of the season. But coming up, let's segue that talk, Jake, into the rest of this season here, talking all about the remaining schedule for the Colts, what our expectations are going forward. And, you know, could they continue this one seed all the way to the end of the year? We're going to talk about that in just a second.

Starting point is 00:21:57 I'm Cody Roark from Lockdown Broncos. in this episode is brought to you by Peloton. Peloton is shaping the future of fitness with the brand new Peloton cross-training tread plus powered by Peloton IQ. This is Peloton's most advanced equipment yet, giving you real-time guidance and endless ways to move, whether you're running, lifting, or you're cross-training with your favorite instructors like Alex Toussaint. It's training reimagine to make your workout more personal. Peloton is built for breakthroughs with features that help you plan, stay motivated, and hit peak performance. You can let yourself run, lift, flex, and go while Peloton handles all the rest.

Starting point is 00:22:34 Plus, Peloton IQ provides real-time strength coaching, tracking your progress and suggesting weights that challenge you so you can get stronger. Plus the new movement tracking camera, it counts your reps and correct your form in real time, making sure every rep is safer and smarter. So let yourself run, lift, flex, push, and go. explore the new peloton cross-training tread plus at one peloton.com all right welcome back everybody we are talking cult's big picture you know we we give you a little news and notes at first remain pratt has been signed some guys like alec pierce and kinney more are improving on the injury front

Starting point is 00:23:17 but we also talked about why the cults have been so good like what's working well but now we got to look towards the future a little bit there is a right rest of the schedule to play. This is obviously only week six of 18. So let's look at this remaining schedule as your team sits at four and one and what this thing might look like. All right, Zach, so coming up, obviously the Cardinals here, you then got your second West Coast road trip with the Chargers, back home against the Titans, on the road against the Steelers, Germany against the Falcons, which is technically banked as a home game for the Colts, but it's across the ocean.

Starting point is 00:23:54 So it's not. And then you got your buy week. And then you got to go to Arrowhead. Luckily, you probably avoid it being where the weather is too bad because it can really suck there. You got home against the Texans on the road at Trevor Bank. They're bus-knit, Zach. I've checked off every prediction so far.

Starting point is 00:24:12 They're breaking the streak in Jacksonville this year. They got to go West Coast after that back to Seattle and the Seahawks. They got Monday night football at home against the 49ers. and then their last couple games at home against the Jags. And on the road, huge week 18 game, I'm assuming, against the Texans. So you look at this one, Zach, like we mentioned, they're not going to finish 16 and 1. But man, if 12 and 5, 13 and 4 doesn't look a little realistic, it kind of is at this point. You and I were discussing if you get through the, what was it, the Chiefs game and you add a couple more losses in between two and there.

Starting point is 00:24:52 and you're only at, like, three losses with six games left. Like, that's, you're going to finish with a really healthy record. Yeah, the way I, I break it down is pre-buy and post-by for the Colts right now. So pre-buye is the Cardinals, Chargers, Titans, Steelers, Falcons, Chiefs, right, in a row like that. Chiefs is post-by. Oh, Chiefs is Post-bye. Okay, so Pre-bye, then, is the five games I mentioned there. I think these next five games, if you're the Colts, you're looking at, I mean, obviously, you want to win all of them,

Starting point is 00:25:20 but you want to win at least four of these next five. Very, very winnable games. You get the Cardinals upcoming this week with a very injured offense. Potentially, Kyler Murray might not be playing in this one. You've got to take advantage of that. The Chargers down to their third running back, their 10th offensive tackles. A lot of injuries going on on their team right now. You get the Titans who they finally found some life this past week,

Starting point is 00:25:42 but I'm not fully believing that. And you get them at home. So I think that's a good matchup for them. Even the Steelers who look like the toughest matchup here, Shane Steichen throughout his entire career has absolutely whooped Mike Tomlin's defenses. It has been probably his easiest opponent to scheme against because they're so static on that side of the ball.

Starting point is 00:26:01 So I never really worry about them putting up points against the Steelers. And then the Germany game can be kind of weird, you know, because those overseas ones are weird. But these next five are very, very winnable for the Colts. You want to build up as many wins as possible right now because those last seven, those are tough. Those are going to be tough games. get four divisional games against the two teams that are actually competitive in the division.

Starting point is 00:26:24 And then you get three playoff teams in the 49ers, Seahawks, and Chiefs, you know, or teams that we think are going to be in the playoffs. So if you're the Colts looking at this schedule, obviously you're saying you want to win every game and every, you know, take it one week at a time. But if you're looking at a big picture, these next five are vital for the Colts, you know, if they can get up to, again, say you win all five of these, right? You get up to eight and one going into your bye week. you give yourself a lot of room to work with in those final six, you know, at least win four

Starting point is 00:26:52 of them. If you can get to seven and two going into your by week and really roll with that going forward, or I guess, yes, sorry, that'd be eight and two if they won four, eight and two going into your bye week, then you're in a good place for these last seven. But I think these next five are going to be really crucial for the Colts. They've got to build up those wins as much as they can now. Not saying that they're going to lose a lot down the stretch, but it's hard to consistently win against that could, I mean, all seven of those games could be playoff. teams by the way the a fc is looking right now the texans could be like that seven seed or that six seed or you never know how it's going to how it's going to turn out but just looking at how it looks

Starting point is 00:27:26 right now those look like those could be seven playoff caliber teams but of these next five chargers and stealers maybe the only two you get that are playoff teams like you really got to take advantage here of uh of these next five games yeah i'm i'm looking at this latter portion of the schedule and the division is not as cut and dry as it was just like a couple weeks ago like the texans are heating up and the jacks are four and one also yeah they're playing good football they are and they're not too far removed from when they won the division a few years ago like it's a it's a lot of the same cast of characters and again they have found something under leum cohen that's really working uh you know etienne has been healthy as well that that certainly helps the

Starting point is 00:28:10 identity of their offense. So I kind of wish you had a matchup against the Jags and Texans a little earlier than this last, let's see, it's like the last five or six weeks is all your matchups against those two teams, essentially. So it would be nice to have those maybe a little earlier to maybe have some sort of tiebreaker or create a little distance with them. But yeah, let's just go hypothetical here. What are your losses? I don't like, I'm at no point now. where I think there's not an avenue for the Colts to beat any team. Even if you were talking about like the bills or Eagles, they could find a way to do it.

Starting point is 00:28:47 So I'm going to try and I'm going to try and keep it even keel and say they're going to have some more losses. They obviously are. Yeah. So when you look at Charger Steelers, Chiefs, you might get one or you might get one or two losses in there. I don't think they'll go undefeated through that slate. I don't want to.

Starting point is 00:29:06 I want one at best. You guys have high expectations now for me, all right? Look, I get Steelers and Chargers are on the road, and those are two playoff caliber teams. But if you want to be a playoff team, you've got to steal one of those games, I think. And you've got to take care of business against the Cardinals, Titans, and Falcons, I think. Those are teams that the Colts definitely need to beat. Yeah, they definitely, they've got ones that I'm not going to say gimmies, but like, they're ones that are going to bolster their playoff resume.

Starting point is 00:29:33 Cardinals, Titans, Falcons is weird again. That's just you're totally out of your element. they're not going to sweep the entire division. I think that's unrealistic. Come on, Jake. You went crazy pre-seasoned with their predictions. Just have to go on 16 and 1. The AFC South is not awful.

Starting point is 00:29:51 There's something I don't like about that Seattle game, being in Seattle, another West Coast trip. That could be one where it's just kind of a house of horror game where nothing goes well. I don't know why I think that. It's just I see it and I don't like it. I will say this, looking at this Colts team and looking forward, there's no reason for me to say anything's a guaranteed loss going forward to Colts. Like, sure, you've got a factor in your brain that they're going to probably lose a couple games

Starting point is 00:30:20 because that's how football works. But there's none of these games where, like, before the season, if we were looking at this schedule being like, look, at Chiefs, that's going to be a horrible one. The At Jaguar's game is certainly a loss, you know, because that's just how history has been with this Colts team. But this feels like a different Colts team. So there's no game I'm looking at here.

Starting point is 00:30:37 saying like I'm chalking that up to a loss. The ones that I guess I have really circled to see how real this team is at Kansas City is going to be a huge one. I'm glad they get the buy right before that so you can have an extra week of game planning for the Chiefs. But anytime you have to go to Arrowhead, it's a difficult environment, especially with how the Colts like to operate. You're going to get pre-snap penalties, and that's something you want to avoid.

Starting point is 00:31:00 At Jacksonville, because we need to break that second curse. And then at Seattle, like you said, Jake. that's a really good Seahawks team with an offense that's clicking, has a lot of weapons, and their defense, I think, has some good pieces as well. I think those are the three games I'm really looking at there, but honestly, again, with how the Colts have played at home this season, they're averaging nearly 40 points a game at home this year, like anything that they have at home, like a real home game, so the Cardinals, Titans, Texans, 49ers, even, Jaguars, like, I want those to be wins.

Starting point is 00:31:31 I want them to keep this, I want them to go undefeated at home this year because they're playing that well. at home and i think they really can't do it this year you know i was just looking at the you know the colts head to head historically they haven't won in pittsburgh either since i was in high school so that's another streak they've got like they they do pretty well against pittsburgh at lucas oil but they haven't won at hinds field or whatever it's called now since again 2008 yeah so it's been a hot minute so they can what's add that to the streaks they're breaking this year's act while we're talking streets that they're breaking all streets. While we're talking streets that they're breaking, a streak that they need to keep alive is Pat Mahomes has never beaten the Colts in the regular

Starting point is 00:32:11 season in his whole career. Never beat the Colts in the second season. That includes the 2022 Colts with Matt Ryan and Jolani Woods carrying the Colts to victory. That's crazy business. One of their four wins that year against the Chiefs. So yeah, like I don't know. When I look at the schedule, you guys can let us know in the comment section below. How many wins do you see this Colts getting to you but like I would say I want the floor to be like a 10 and I think they can get I think they can get up to 12 I think they could get to 13 realistically how they're playing right now I need to see more against more like competitive teams like I want to see the Chargers game I think these next five are going to tell us so much about this team if they can win four of these

Starting point is 00:32:48 next five there's no reason they can't win 13 games this year you know but yeah if they stumble if they win three of these next five or two of these next five then it gets a little bit more dire with this Colts team because it gets the harder part of the schedule but I think this Colts team the way they're playing right now I'm seeing four of the next five I think they're going to win yeah I'm I'm giving them 12 and 5 or 13 and 4 only because I feel like I would be forcing to say they're going to lose some of these like I think 12 and 5 is a nice is a rational prediction considering they're 4 and 1 right now and the schedule's not terrible now that's health permitting like if something goes awry and they hit the

Starting point is 00:33:29 tank. Don't pull this clip and give it back to me because I'll call the police. But no, health permitting, I say 12 and 5, 13 and 4. I mean, look, the rest of the way, the Colts need to go 6 and 6 to get the 10 wins this year. They just have to be 500 football the rest of the way. That's crazy. The position

Starting point is 00:33:45 they've already gotten themselves into is just nuts for this team. Yep, and if they win on Sunday, they don't even need to be 500 the rest of the way to make the playoff. So, just continue what they're doing, keep rolling, and we'll see where this takes us. But But coming back tomorrow, guys, we'll be really breaking down this Cardinals matchup, and that'll basically

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