Getty One NFL executive said the AFC South is Matt Ryan and the Indianapolis Colts' division to lose.
The Indianapolis Colts haven’t won the AFC South since the 2014 season. Over the last seven years since Indianapolis’ last division title, the other AFC South teams have each captured the division crown at least once.
But going into 2022, the Colts are the team to beat in the AFC South. At least that’s how one NFC executive sees it.
“It’s hands down the Colts’ division to lose,” an NFC Executive told Heavy senior NFL reporter Matt Lombardo. “Adding Matt Ryan, having that running game, those receivers, and a solid defense … They’re going to be very tough to beat.”
Lombardo also projected the Colts to seize the AFC South in his 2022 division predictions. The Heavy senior NFL reporter predicted Indianapolis to win the division by two games.
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Colts Favorite in the AFC South?
Lombardo didn’t call Indianapolis the favorite in the AFC South, but the Colts landed on top of his standings predictions for the division. Lombardo projected the Colts to go 12-5.
“After trading for quarterback Matt Ryan, and dropping him behind arguably the NFL’s premier offensive line, with possible 2,000-yard running back Jonathan Taylor and a litany of weapons in the passing game, this just might be Indianapolis’ time, in a very winnable division,” wrote Lombardo.
Interestingly, Lombardo predicted the Jacksonville Jaguars, and not the Tennessee Titans, to be Indianapolis’ biggest competition in the division. The Heavy NFL senior reporter projected the Jaguars to post a 10-7 record and the Titans to go 9-8.
“Jacksonville might still be a couple of pieces away from competing for a Super Bowl, but even in an insanely loaded AFC, this feels like a team primed to kick down the door into the postseason,” wrote Lombardo.
Last year was the first time the AFC South didn’t produce two playoff teams since 2016. If Lombardo’s prediction is correct, the AFC South will have two postseason squads this year for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
Colts, Matt Ryan Aiming to Break Several Droughts
Indianapolis is hoping to snap its division title drought, but if the Colts win 12 games as Lombardo predicted, they will break an even longer streak. The Colts haven’t won at least 12 games in a season since going 14-2 in 2009.
The Colts have gone 11-5 four times over the last 12 years, but that 12th victory in a season has been elusive since they started 14-0 in 2009.
Last season, a record of 12-5 was good enough for the Titans to earn the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC. In the NFC, the two teams that went 12-5 were only the No. 3 and 4 seeds, but one of those teams was the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
Going 12-5 would cement the Colts as a true Super Bowl contender heading into the middle of January.
If Matt Ryan stays healthy and leads Indianapolis to a 12-win season, it will be the first time Ryan has won at least 12 games in a single campaign since 2012. Ryan led the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl during the 2016 season after posting an 11-5 mark.