Colts’ Road Back to the Playoffs: Three Must-Fix Areas for 2026
It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and while the spotlight shines on the league’s elite, let’s shift the focus to a team that’s been on the outside looking in for a while now - the Indianapolis Colts. Instead of dreaming about a return to the big game, the more immediate and realistic goal is getting back to the postseason.
The last time the Colts punched a playoff ticket was 2020. Their last playoff win?
That was back in 2018. Since then, it’s been a revolving door of hope and heartbreak.
But heading into 2026, there’s a sense inside the building that this team can recapture some of the early-season magic they showed in 2025 - a stretch where they looked like a legitimate postseason contender.
Still, belief alone won’t get them there. If the Colts want to play meaningful football in January, there are three areas they absolutely have to clean up.
1. Finish Strong: Learning to Win Late in the Season
Let’s call it what it was - the end of the 2025 season was a collapse. The Colts dropped eight straight to close out the year.
But this isn’t just a one-season issue. Late-season struggles have been a recurring theme in Indianapolis over the past few years.
Whether it’s missed opportunities, costly turnovers, or failing to execute in crunch time, the Colts haven’t been able to close. And in the NFL, December and January are where playoff teams separate themselves. That’s when the margin for error shrinks and every snap carries more weight.
Team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon didn’t shy away from that reality in her end-of-season remarks.
"We just have to be able to face adversity better," she said. "It's about finishing games."
She’s right. These late-season matchups are pressure cookers - and that’s where experience matters. Having battle-tested veterans who know how to handle high-leverage moments can be the difference between a playoff berth and an early offseason.
Until the Colts prove they can handle the heat when it matters most, their ceiling will remain capped.
2. Stay Healthy: Availability is Everything
No one in the NFL gets a free pass for injuries - it’s a league built on attrition - but that doesn’t mean health doesn’t matter. The Colts were hit hard down the stretch, losing several key players, including quarterback Daniel Jones. And while there’s no guarantee a healthy roster would’ve reversed that eight-game skid, it’s fair to say the outlook would’ve been different.
Depth is critical, but when your top guys aren’t on the field, it changes everything - the rhythm of the offense, the confidence of the team, the game plan itself. It’s not about making excuses, it’s about recognizing reality. The Colts need their core players available if they want to compete in the AFC.
That means better injury luck, sure, but also smarter load management and perhaps even a fresh look at the team’s strength and conditioning approach. Whatever it takes to keep this roster intact when the games matter most.
3. Turn Up the Heat: Reviving the Pass Rush
Let’s talk defense - more specifically, the pass rush. Last season, the Colts ranked 30th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate. That’s not just a red flag - it’s a flashing neon sign.
When a defense can’t get after the quarterback, everything downstream suffers. Corners have to cover longer, linebackers are stretched thin, and opposing offenses get comfortable. It’s hard to win when the opposing QB is operating from a clean pocket all game long.
This wasn’t just a schematic issue. The Colts lacked consistent production from the edge, and that’s a problem defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo can’t scheme his way around forever. A disruptive front changes the entire complexion of a defense - it creates turnovers, forces hurried decisions, and allows for more aggressive play-calling.
Fixing that starts up front. General Manager Chris Ballard has to make the defensive end position a priority this offseason.
Whether it’s through free agency, the draft, or both, the Colts need difference-makers on the edge. The kind of guys who can wreck a drive with one play and tilt the field in your favor.
The Bottom Line
The Colts aren’t as far off as their record might suggest. There were flashes in 2025 - real signs of a team that could compete. But those flashes faded down the stretch, and that’s what needs to change.
If Indianapolis can learn how to finish strong, stay healthy, and finally generate some heat off the edge, they’ll have a real shot at ending their playoff drought. Until then, they remain a team with potential - not production.
The pieces are there. Now it’s about putting them together when it counts.