{"id":5149,"date":"2025-12-10T21:42:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T02:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gofootballanalytics.com\/statsblog\/?p=5149"},"modified":"2025-12-11T10:44:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T15:44:16","slug":"colts-trying-avoid-becoming-6th-team-since-nfl-merger-to-start-7-1-and-miss-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gofootballanalytics.com\/statsblog\/colts-trying-avoid-becoming-6th-team-since-nfl-merger-to-start-7-1-and-miss-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Colts Trying To Avoid Becoming 6th Team Since NFL Merger To Start 7-1 And Miss Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"200\" data-end=\"676\">The Indianapolis Colts are suddenly facing a season-defining crisis. What began as one of the NFL\u2019s strongest starts, a commanding <strong data-start=\"332\" data-end=\"346\">7\u20131 record<\/strong> and control of the AFC South, has now unraveled into uncertainty after a crushing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Even worse, the Colts lost their star quarterback, <strong data-start=\"530\" data-end=\"546\">Daniel Jones<\/strong>, to a torn Achilles in the middle of that first-place showdown, abruptly ending his season and potentially reshaping the AFC playoff picture.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"678\" data-end=\"1141\">In a move few could have predicted, <strong data-start=\"714\" data-end=\"743\">44-year-old Philip Rivers<\/strong> has officially returned to the Colts after <strong data-start=\"787\" data-end=\"820\">five years away from the game<\/strong>. The future Hall of Famer, who last played for Indianapolis in 2020, comes back as an emergency reinforcement in the thick of a playoff race \u2014 but he likely will not start immediately. Instead, all eyes turn to hampered <strong data-start=\"1025\" data-end=\"1049\">rookie Riley Leonard<\/strong>, the former Notre Dame star who is expected to make his <strong data-start=\"1106\" data-end=\"1128\">first career start<\/strong> this Sunday if his body is able.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1143\" data-end=\"1440\">And his assignment could not be more daunting: Leonard\u2019s debut comes <strong data-start=\"1212\" data-end=\"1238\">on the road in Seattle<\/strong>, against one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Seahawks remain a top-tier pass-stopping unit, and Lumen Field is among the hardest environments for a young quarterback to survive, let alone succeed.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1442\" data-end=\"1549\">Making matters worse, the Colts\u2019 remaining schedule is as difficult as any contending team&#8217;s in the league:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1551\" data-end=\"1836\">\n<li data-start=\"1551\" data-end=\"1615\">\n<p data-start=\"1553\" data-end=\"1615\"><strong data-start=\"1553\" data-end=\"1576\">Week 15: at Seattle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1616\" data-end=\"1691\">\n<p data-start=\"1618\" data-end=\"1691\"><strong data-start=\"1618\" data-end=\"1647\">Week 16: vs San Francisco<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1692\" data-end=\"1764\">\n<p data-start=\"1694\" data-end=\"1764\"><strong data-start=\"1694\" data-end=\"1722\">Week 17: vs Jacksonville<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1765\" data-end=\"1836\">\n<p data-start=\"1767\" data-end=\"1836\"><strong data-start=\"1767\" data-end=\"1790\">Week 18: at Houston<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1838\" data-end=\"1977\">The question now looms over Indianapolis: <strong data-start=\"1880\" data-end=\"1977\">Could the Colts become the 6th team since the merger to miss the playoffs after starting 7\u20131?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1979\" data-end=\"2046\">Only five teams in NFL history have suffered that kind of collapse:<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"2048\" data-end=\"2102\"><strong data-start=\"2052\" data-end=\"2102\">Teams That Started 7\u20131 and Missed the Playoffs<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"2103\" data-end=\"2207\">\n<li data-start=\"2103\" data-end=\"2121\">\n<p data-start=\"2105\" data-end=\"2121\"><strong data-start=\"2105\" data-end=\"2119\">2012 Bears<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2122\" data-end=\"2145\">\n<p data-start=\"2124\" data-end=\"2145\"><strong data-start=\"2124\" data-end=\"2143\">1996 Washington<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2146\" data-end=\"2165\">\n<p data-start=\"2148\" data-end=\"2165\"><strong data-start=\"2148\" data-end=\"2163\">1988 Saints<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2166\" data-end=\"2187\">\n<p data-start=\"2168\" data-end=\"2187\"><strong data-start=\"2168\" data-end=\"2185\">1987 Chargers<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2188\" data-end=\"2207\">\n<p data-start=\"2190\" data-end=\"2207\"><strong data-start=\"2190\" data-end=\"2207\">1975 Dolphins<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"2209\" data-end=\"2526\">The Colts don\u2019t want to see their name join that list, but the margin for error has evaporated. A depleted roster, a rookie quarterback making his debut in brutal conditions, and one of the league\u2019s toughest finishing stretches now stand between Indianapolis and what once looked like a near-certain postseason berth.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2528\" data-end=\"2729\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">With injuries mounting and pressure rising, Week 15 may determine whether the Colts can steady themselves \u2014 or whether they are on the verge of one of the most stunning collapses in modern NFL history.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 360px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-5149-1\" width=\"360\" height=\"640\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gofootballanalytics.com\/statsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/misspo_reveal-1.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofootballanalytics.com\/statsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/misspo_reveal-1.mp4\">https:\/\/www.gofootballanalytics.com\/statsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/misspo_reveal-1.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Indianapolis Colts are suddenly facing a season-defining crisis. What began as one of the NFL\u2019s strongest starts, a commanding 7\u20131 record and control of the AFC South, has now unraveled into uncertainty after a crushing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Even worse, the Colts lost their star quarterback, Daniel Jones, to a&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofootballanalytics.com\/statsblog\/colts-trying-avoid-becoming-6th-team-since-nfl-merger-to-start-7-1-and-miss-playoffs\/\" rel=\"bookmark\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Colts Trying To Avoid Becoming 6th Team Since NFL Merger To Start 7-1 And Miss Playoffs<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":70,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,20,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-stats","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Colts Trying To Avoid Becoming 6th Team Since NFL Merger To Start 7-1 And Miss Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Colts Trying To Avoid Becoming 6th Team Since NFL 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