So far, this has not been the best of seasons for the Indianapolis Colts.

It started with the holdout of star running back Jonathan Taylor, who wanted a lucrative contract extension. The Colts initially didn’t want to give him one, but both sides finally agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal.

Then came the season-ending shoulder injury to rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, who had been showing a bit of promise, in Week 5, forcing Gardner Minshew II to take over under center.

As a result, the Colts lost five of their first eight games, and after beating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, they sit at 4-5, which puts them in third place in the AFC South.

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While their remaining schedule is somewhat manageable, Destin Adams of A to Z Sports isn’t feeling optimistic about their chances of moving forward. He feels they will win only four of their last eight games and miss the playoffs.

“Predicting the Colts remaining schedule: 

“Week 10: @ (Germany) New England Patriots (W) 

“Week 11: Bye Week 

“Week 12: Vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (W) 

“Week 13: @ Tennessee Titans (L) 

“Week 14: @ Cincinnati Bengals (L)

“Week 15: Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (L)

“Week 16: @ Atlanta Falcons (W) 

“Week 17: Vs. Las Vegas Raiders (W) 

“Week 18: Vs. Houston Texans (L) 

“Overall Record: 8-9“

Even with Taylor starting to show signs of getting his groove back in his last three games, stud wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. having a strong season and rookie wideout Josh Downs doing well, it will be very difficult for Indianapolis to reach the postseason with Minshew at QB1. No offense to him, but while he is a very good backup, he simply doesn’t have the goods to be the starting QB of a playoff-caliber NFL team.

On the other hand, Adams did praise Colts head coach Shane Steichen, a first-time head coach, saying that he belongs in his current capacity in the NFL. Sometimes the best measure of a coach or leader’s ability is how he does in times of adversity, and the team has certainly dealt with adversity this season.

Perhaps if Indianapolis finishes the season with a bit of momentum, it will have something positive to build on for next season.

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