Are the Colts a legitimate threat in the AFC after hot start?

It's a small sample size, but the Colts may be legit

This Colts team, led by quarterback Daniel Jones and powered by a red-hot Jonathan Taylor, came into the season without any flashy offseason acquisitions or major hype. Yet here they are, quietly and efficiently dominating both sides of the ball.

Let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: Five games is a small sample size. And yes, wins over the struggling Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders — teams with a combined two victories — might not scream championship pedigree. But the Colts’ overall body of work tells a compelling story.

Their most impressive moment might have come in a narrow loss to the Los Angeles Rams, where wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was just one yard shy of sealing a statement victory in L.A. Despite that loss, the Colts have shown they can hang with high-level competition and dominate the games they’re supposed to win.

A league-best +74 point differential, second in total points scored and the fifth-best scoring defense, according to StatMuse, all underline how well-rounded this team is. Their turnovers through five games? Just one, per Fox Sports.

Jones has been efficient and reliable under center, but it’s Taylor who’s turning heads. With seven total touchdowns — six of them on the ground — Taylor is putting up numbers reminiscent of Saquon Barkley’s monster 2024 season.

A top-five offense. A top-five defense. And elite ball security. Sound familiar? The 2024 Eagles come to mind — and we all know how that season ended.

The Colts are no longer a feel-good story or an early-season anomaly. They’re a legitimate contender with their eyes set on Santa Clara in February.