As the bye week approaches, the Indianapolis Colts are in the playoff conversation thanks to an unexpected season

This season, the Indianapolis Colts appeared satisfied to start over with a rookie quarterback and a new head coach.

Their defensive captain was playing few snaps due to injury and a contentious contract dispute, and their leading rusher was also sidelined.

However, nobody in the team complex wrote this season off, especially after missing the playoffs three times in a row.

The Colts are currently 5-5 and one of the biggest shocks in the AFC playoff mix as we head into the bye week.

Following Sunday’s victory in Germany, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, a two-time Pro Bowler, stated, “It’s just a confidence boost knowing we have a realistic push to make a playoff run.” “We need this bye week to really recover and get our bodies right to make this push because we have a lot of guys who are banged up.”

Even before the wild flips and turns of the midseason, few anticipated this conversation last summer.

In Week 5, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew replaced starting quarterback Anthony Richardson after the latter’s season-ending right shoulder injury. Richardson had started three of the four games.

Even while his inconsistent play hasn’t quite brought back the Minshew Mania magic from his Jacksonville rookie season, he is 3-3 as the starter and has won two consecutive games despite only managing two touchdown drives.

“I believe it’s just a matter of resilience and belief.” Coach Shane Steichen stated, “The defense has stepped up no matter what the situation is—if the offense isn’t scoring points like we haven’t been the last two weeks, the defense has stepped up.” “We’re finding strategies to win football games, and that’s the stat that counts.”

It wasn’t just Minshew who had to adjust fast.

Indianapolis believed that combining the adaptable rookie quarterback with 2021 NFL rushing champion Jonathan Taylor may result in a deadly ground game.

Rather, Taylor missed the first four games as he healed from ankle surgery that was done in the off-season and bemoaned the NFL’s undervaluing of running backs. Zack Moss was the NFL’s top rusher when Taylor eventually made a comeback, taking just one snap with Richardson following his three-year, $42 million contract extension.

Taylor responded, “I think the most important thing is to just stay engaged on what your goal is,” when asked what advice he would give Richardson. It might appear ordinary. You could feel trapped in an unending cycle of wondering, “When will my body take the next step?” Just keep your eyes on the prize.

Indy’s defense is also covered by Taylor’s remarks.

Despite a dismal October in which they gave up 114 points over a three-game losing streak and saw three-time All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard play the lowest snap percentage of his career after two back surgeries, the Colts rank in the top six in sacks, strip sacks, and fumble recoveries.

But Indianapolis has won its last two games against New England and Carolina, the two teams with the lowest records in their respective leagues. The Colts gave up just 19 points and one touchdown.

Defensive end Kwity Paye said on Tuesday, “I feel like the games we’ve lost have just been when the defense really took it on the chin.” We lost games as a result of our failure to do our role, which allowed them to score more points than we desired. These last two games have kind of demonstrated our capabilities.

And there are yet more chances to come.

The Colts are still ahead of many preseason playoff choices, including Buffalo and the Los Angeles Chargers, even though they don’t have the depth or explosiveness of division leaders like Kansas City or Miami. They have already defeated the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens and the unexpected Houston Texans on the road.

Indianapolis has a good schedule as well.

Houston is the only team in the top 20 in points per game, while Pittsburgh (6-3) and Cincinnati (5-4) are the only two of their last seven opponents with winning records.

Thus, despite Minshew starting at quarterback, Taylor not quite returning to form, and Moss’s importance beginning to wane, Steichen has managed to put Indianapolis in the postseason picture with an offense that is scoring more than a score more per game—going from 17.0 to 24.2 points—than the opposition.

The Colts anticipated being there in the middle of November.

Tight end Mo Alie-Cox stated, “In previous years, we have started the year pretty slow—1–5 seasons and things like that.” “By maintaining our momentum heading into a bye and regaining our.500 mark—especially after dropping three straight games—we’ve put ourselves in a strong position.”