Colts Finally Healthy Entering Season That Could Decide Everything

We already saw what this offense can look like with Jones healthy.

Through the first 10 games of 2025, Indianapolis led the NFL in scoring at 32.1 points per game and total offense at 396.9 yards per game.

Then the injuries came.

Jones played through a fractured fibula before tearing his Achilles in Week 14, and Indianapolis went from 8-2 to 8-9 while losing its final seven games.

Now Jones is back. He went through training camp without restrictions or a missed practice snap, and Sunday will be his first real game action since Dec. 7.

If the Colts are going to get back to what they were early last season, keeping Jones upright has to be priority No. 1.

The Secondary Finally Gets Its Chance

The same applies on defense.

Indianapolis went all-in for Gardner at the trade deadline, but Gardner and Ward only played one full game together. Gardner appeared in just four games for Indianapolis, while Ward missed 10 games while battling concussions and concussion-related symptoms.

Justin Walley never even made it to the regular season after tearing his ACL during training camp.

Now all three are back in the mix. If they can stay on the field, Indianapolis finally gets to see what one of the most talented cornerback groups in football can actually look like together.

There Are No More Excuses

That is what makes this season so important for Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen.

Ballard is entering the final year of his contract and said it himself during training camp: “We need to win.” The Colts have missed the playoffs five straight seasons and still have not won the AFC South during his tenure.

The case for Ballard is pretty straightforward. A general manager’s job is to put talent on the roster, and there is plenty of it here.

Jonathan Taylor, Quenton Nelson, Tyler Warren, Josh Downs and Alec Pierce were all drafted under his watch, while Gardner was the aggressive win-now move Indianapolis had been missing.

But eventually, talent has to become wins.

It is hard to imagine Ballard getting another year if this team misses the playoffs again.

For now, the Colts enter that make-or-break season on a high note: the stars they are counting on are available.

The challenge is keeping it that way.