The Indianapolis Colts kept out of the playoffs because of one narrow defeat in the final week of the regular season, and now they are looking to build off that.
As Shane Steichen enters his second year as the head coach of the Colts, there are pretty high expectations that the franchise will be able to improve upon its competitive campaign in 2023.
As it pertains to the strength of their schedule, Sharp Football Analysis suggests an easier path for the Colts to make a playoff run.
According to their rankings, the Colts have the seventh-easiest strength of schedule based on win total projections from Vegas.
Of the 15 teams that actually had the easiest 2023 schedules, 10 went to the playoffs (Cowboys, Packers, Texans, Bills, Dolphins, Buccaneers, Eagles, Lions, 49ers, and Chiefs) with 9-of-15 going over their win total.
The Colts have a tough division set up after the moves the rest of the AFC South made, but they were able to stay competitive in 2023 despite not having Anthony Richardson for the majority of the campaign.
A lot will rest on the shoulder of Richardson and how the defense improves in Year 3 under Gus Bradley, but the strength of schedule implies they may have a slightly easier road to compete for a playoff spot.
For more Colts coverage, check out Kevin Hickey's work on Sporting News.
