Indianapolis Colts 2008 NFL Projection:
Consider how close Indianapolis came to going undefeated in the regular season
last year. They lost a 10 point lead to the Patriots in the fourth quarter in a battle of undefeated teams in week 9.
The following week they lost in San Diego as Manning tossed 6 interceptions, yet Indy still could have won if Vinatieri made a 29-yard field goal at the end…
You can bet if the Colts had been (15-0) going into the final week, they wouldn’t have rested their starters in a lay down loss
to Tennessee in week 17.
Coming into 2008 the Colts hope Freeney will be back to form after missing the second half of last season.
To think Indy surrendered the fewest points in the NFL last season with Freeney missing so many games is a scary thought
for all teams on the Colts’ schedule.
The only real potential weak spot on the Indianapolis defense is the linebacking crew– which the Colts attempted to improve
using two of their first four draft picks to snag Georgia Tech’s Philip Wheeler, and Georgia’s Marcus Howard.
On the other side of the ball, Manning should be fine
after an infected bursa sac was removed from his left knee.
And despite questions about Marvin Harrison,
the Colts can rest a bit easier knowing how well
Anthony Gonzalez played in his place last season.
The Colts had been hoping to improve their running game after last season’s 18th in the league showing.
Unfortunately, starting center Jeff Saturday tore the
medial collateral ligament in his right knee late in preseason. He could miss the first half of the regular season or worse.
Schedule Analysis:
A look at Indianapolis’ 2008 schedule
shows eight games versus teams that made the playoffs last season;
The six game stretch between week 7 and week 12 is especially brutal as the Colts will play 4 road contests versus
playoff teams from last season, with a home game against New England thrown into the mix.
Not to mention two road games overall against
teams on the verge of making the playoffs last season;
Overall the Colts face the second hardest schedule in the league.
Record Projection:
The Colts have a difficult slate of games awaiting them in ’08. However, looking back to their Super Bowl winning season two years ago,
the Colts went (8-1) against playoff teams (including the postseason), with two wins
over the Patriots overall, culminating with their Super Bowl victory over the Bears.
Indy can win multiple games against top teams.
But the loss of Jeff Saturday stings the offense.
Overall we’re adjusting our record prediction for the 2008 – 2009 Indianapolis Colts
here before the regular season starts, downgrading from (13-3)
to (12-4) to account for the loss of Saturday.
The projections on this page will freeze
when the regular season begins. You can track rolling standings projections during the season
here.
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Free 2008 NFL Predictions Note:
Remember
these now archived 2008 NFL forecasts were made
during the 2008 preseason.
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