Indianapolis Colts: What a difference a year makes
By Andy Davies
The NFL returns to Germany, a year after the Indianapolis Colts took on the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin.
Indianapolis went into the game with a 7-2 record and secured an overtime win at the Olympiastadion. They flew back to the United States with an 8-2 record. In addition, they were number one seed in the AFC.
However, they failed to win a game for the rest of the season. Then even turned to the services of 45-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement.
Their poor form has continued into this season, currently boasting a 2-7 record and the team in disarray.
Here is how the Colts have gone from a 7-2 team to a 2-7 one in the space of 12 months.
Going "all-in" in 2025
When the Colts landed in Berlin, they had just traded for New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. A 2026 and 2027 first round pairing was given up. This is in addition to wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
At the time, it appeared to be a sensible move. Whilst the two first round draft selections did feel a bit steep at the time, if a Super Bowl ring came out of it, then it would not have mattered as much.
Quarterback Daniel Jones was playing his best football. Jonathan Taylor was an MVP candidate. With just two losses on the season, this was a team that many fancied to win the conference
The Jones feel good factor had the fans dreaming. Instead, injury struck as Jones was soon ruled out for the season after suffering an Achilles tendon tear in early December. He returned to the field this season but has struggled immensely.
What was hoped for Jones during his best play ended up happening to Sam Darnold. Another perceived draft bust, Darnold managed to create a Cinderella story and help guide the franchise to its second Super Bowl in history.
The storybook season that the Colts fans, players and front office thought would happen did not. Making the decision to trade two first-round picks for Gardner seems every more unwise.
It is not even as if Gardner has played well despite the losses. He has struggled in the secondary for Indy, defined by last weekend. In a Week Nine clash at home to the Dallas Cowboys, the Colts led in the fourth quarter post the two-minute warning.
Gardner made a costly mistake as he allowed Dallas’ Ryan Flourney to record a 46-yard reception, something he called “unacceptable”.
A Colts firesale after 2026 struggles
It is not just the results that have caused unrest within the Colts fanbase. The organisation has seen many of their star assets walk for not much of a return.
In the same day, offensive guard Quenten Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner were traded away, to the Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers respectively. Wide receiver Josh Downs requested a trade, susbequently being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. Fellow wideout Keenan Allen was reunited with Buckner in the West Coast. None of these trade deadline moves saw the Colts receive a first-round pick. This makes the Gardner trade even more problematic.
They are having a fire sale and essentially tanking for a second round pick. When there is a situation where a team is letting all their assets be relieved from the organisation, at least they can look forward to a first-round pick or two to his project restart. Instead, there will need to be some excellent front office moves in the 2027 NFL Draft to make it worth the decision.
Instead, due to the decision to give up a first rounder for Gardner and then not get the results on the field, this is a trade that could go down as one of the worst in recent memory.
The recent months at the Colts is a lesson to all NFL teams. A Super Bowl window can be as long or as short as you make it.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER SIX YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS SUPER BOWL LIX AND LX, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JUSTIN JEFFERSON, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS.
