Are the Colts Contenders or Pretenders?

Is the Colts' Early Success Sustainable?

Although three of the Colts' wins are against bottom feeders, Indy did take down the Denver Broncos with a bit of luck.

The Colts were home underdogs against Denver, and the majority thought that the Week 2 showdown would be a low-scoring affair. Instead, the Colts dropped 29 points on one of the league's top defensive units, allowing one sack and committing zero turnovers.

The Colts have followed that performance up by scoring 101 points over their past three games. If Steichen's offense didn't have anyone scared after a gutsy win against the Broncos, it certainly does now.

Indy's 4-0 conference record is what separates them from the Buffalo Bills atop the AFC standings. In two weeks, the Colts will face another AFC juggernaut in the Los Angeles Chargers. Facing a seasoned head coach like Jim Harbaugh will be another great opportunity to determine where the Colts actually stand when playing the toughest teams the league has to offer.

The true test for the Colts awaits them in the form of a monster seven-game stretch to close out the regular season. Coming out of their bye week, the Colts must hit the road to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead.

Indy will follow that up with back-to-back divisional games against the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts haven't won in Jacksonville in over a decade, but with the team finally ending their Week 1 winless streak earlier this year, anything is possible.

If the Colts win two of those three games, you'd have to imagine they would be near locks for the playoffs. The 4-1 Jags aren't making it easy in the AFC South title race, so winning on the road would put the Colts in a prime position to close out home-field advantage in the postseason.

The Colts haven't played a home playoff game since January 6, 2015, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals. Considering the Colts have won all three home games this season, securing home-field advantage for even one game would help give the Colts a boost in a potential playoff run.

The other remaining AFC opponent on the Colts' schedule is the Pittsburgh Steelers, whom the Colts will face on the road. Indy's last win in Pittsburgh came in 2008, meaning the Colts have another winless streak to break.

The Colts have an incredibly challenging schedule ahead, but based on the performances we've seen, nobody can slow down this team. If Indy can finish the season with 12 wins, it would be their best season since 2009, the same year Peyton Manning last led the Colts to the Super Bowl.

If I had to put it in one word, the Colts are absolutely contenders.