Colts resurgence has one gigantic red flag nobody’s talking about
There are a few reasons why the Colts are still fighting for respect despite their record.
It is really simple: the Colts are red hot. A 7–1 record, one of the best offenses in football, all while resurrecting a quarterback once labeled as a bust — it’s a lot to get done in one year. However, what should we make of a team that last made the AFC Championship Game in 2015? A year in which their star running back was still in high school, and their oldest player, long snapper Luke Rhodes, was still in college. How are we to view contenders when their institutional knowledge of winning is virtually nonexistent?
The odd thing is this isn’t only found in this Colts team. The top four teams in the AFC halfway through the year haven’t seen sustained playoff success in recent memory, and many haven’t been to the playoffs in some time.
At the top are the Colts, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2020. Then the Patriots, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2018. The Broncos, who haven’t won a playoff game since 2015. And finally, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have lost in the Wild Card or missed the playoffs every year since 2020.
Obviously, you can’t be a winner until you start winning, so I want to stay away from “moving the goalposts” simply because a poor team last season is winning this year. To think, though, that an 8–9 Colts team from 2024 would be 7–1 in 2025 would have been difficult for anyone to believe this summer during OTAs.
There are a few reasons why the Colts are still fighting for respect despite their record.
So, what should we believe? As Chiefs fans, we’ve seen the end of Brady and the Patriots’ chokehold on the conference, and we have seen over the years the resurgence of teams like the Titans, Bengals, Bills, Ravens, and Dolphins as potential standard-bearers of the AFC. What makes this Colts team different, for good or bad?
First of all, the running game sets the Colts apart. Jonathan Taylor is a nightmare, and a good run game has historically made for a well-rounded offense and is difficult to stop in the postseason. Compiling 850 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns through eight weeks is an outstanding start and something to be fearful of with the Colts moving forward. Averaging three rushing yards before contact, Taylor benefits from a great offensive line to open lanes for him. A consistent run game makes life easy for both Daniel Jones in the passing game and for the Colts defense, staying off the field.
A better-than-average defense has kept the Colts’ opponents at bay. Ranked 23rd in yards allowed, the Colts are letting teams move the ball all over them. However, they’re ranked 6th in points allowed, meaning they hold their opponents to field goals or they force turnovers, in which they are also ranked 3rd. It is worth noting that the Colts allow almost as many first downs on defense as their offense picks up, but they find a way to get off the field. Whether this defense finds sustained success in the second half of the season remains to be seen.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, a more than ideal schedule. The only teams the Colts have played that are above .500 are the Broncos, Rams, and Chargers. The rest of the opponents they have played are a combined 7–23 through the first eight weeks of the season. Hard to see a team underperforming when they have had opponents like the Colts have thus far in 2025.
With a remaining schedule that includes bouts against Kansas City, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, and Seattle, it seems improbable that this Colts team maintains a single blemish on their record throughout the second half. Moving forward, we will most definitely see a Colts team that will be challenged, and how they respond will be the true test of whether this team is as good as it seems.
SAD NEWS: Yankees legend Darryl Strawberry shares the latest on his wife’s cancer battle.
One of the iconic figures of the New York Yankees has quietly entered a “battle” bigger than home runs: his wife, Tracy Strawberry, is battling early-stage cancer — and Darryl decided to tell it all. “This really has been some very challenging times for us, but we wanted to thank God for his grace and mercy! My heart has been heavy lately and needing to say thanks for being there for my wife ❤️,” he wrote on Instagram.
According to the article on Sports Illustrated, Darryl revealed that Tracy underwent not one but two surgeries in a row during her treatment journey, including a hip replacement — a huge shock for any family.
What’s special is that, although the specifics of the type of cancer Tracy is battling have not been revealed, Darryl has officially shared the information about “early-stage cancer.”
Fans thought they had seen Darryl on the field amid cheers, but now he was standing at home — where the cheers were quiet, and there was only “you, me, and a real fight.” He thanked the medical team, thanked the church, thanked the prayers of tens of thousands of fans — “Your support and prayers mean the world to our family.”
“Despite your own struggles, you keep getting up for work and continue to put our family and other people’s needs first,” Darryl once wrote about Tracy.
That brief sentiment said it all: an MLB star is more than just a pitcher, a home‑run hitter — he is also a husband who stands by his wife when she is at her weakest.
He chose to share publicly not because he wanted to hide from the spotlight, but so that the audience would understand: behind every legend on the field is a fragile person amidst storms. He said: “We are truly grateful to each and every one of you who has taken the time to pray for us during this difficult moment.”
You might think Darryl’s battle was all about baseball — but it wasn’t. It was about putting family before the game, putting his wife and home before his own. When the ball was lost, when the crowd dwindled, the only place that remained silent but echoed was home — and the sigh of love.
As Tracy prepared to return home after two surgeries, Darryl, once a force on the field, now took on the role: companion, protector — not just of bat and ball, but of a faltering home. “She’s coming home tomorrow morning! ✝️ We love you all. Darryl and Tracy.”
Darryl and Tracy’s story is still being written — not by ERA or RBI, but by faith, by love, and by each day of silent battle. They were not racing against time on the field, but against fear in the operating room, with each loving glance instead of a cheer.
And when you think “the biggest thing in an athlete’s life” is a championship—remember, for DarrylStrawberry, a real championship is seeing his wife walk out of the hospital, hearing the voices of his children, hugging the person he loves after a long, sleepless night.
The story is not over—and when home is more important than the stadium lights, you understand: sometimes the biggest fights are not played in front of thousands of spectators … but in a dark bedroom, with just two people and a prayer.
