Docs Website

54 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

2026 Indianapolis Colts Predictions with Best Bets and Odds to Win the Super Bowl

by Spencer Toth - 8/19/2026

Indianapolis Colts predictions Daniel Jones

The Indianapolis Colts had a roller coaster season last year that ended in misery. They started the season 8-2 on the back of inspiring quarterback play from Daniel Jones heading into their Week 11 bye. Fast forward two months later, and the Colts finished 8-9 outside of the playoffs with seven straight losses to close out the season. Jones’ season-ending ankle injury, which led to the Colts signing Phillip Rivers, certainly played a role, but the reality is that the Colts were never as good as their 8-2 record suggested… or were they? It’s hard to say exactly how good the Colts were or could have been last season, as all eyes shift to 2026. A flurry of offseason moves and a rejuvenated Jones could be enough for Indianapolis to compete, but will it? Let’s saddle up. 

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

Indianapolis Colts Offseason Recap

The Indianapolis Colts were not going to sit around and wait for Daniel Jones to heal and assume they would pick up right where they left off last season. They were active in altering their look on both sides of the ball, and appear poised to challenge for a playoff spot. 

On offense, Indianapolis traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers for peanuts, opening the door for Alec Pierce to step up as WR1 for the Colts. Pittman Jr. spent the first six years of his career with the Colts, amassing 5,254 receiving yards in that span. His production will be hard to replace with Pierce alone, but that hole will be partially filled by the signing of Keenan Allen. Allen’s best days as a wide receiver are behind him, but the 34-year-old can still contribute with his large frame and route-running abilities. Allen will not only be a helpful body on the field, but his experience will also help shape an inexperienced wide receiving room. 

The Colts also made a few changes with their offensive line depth, but the bulk of their offseason moves came on defense. Indianapolis didn’t have their first-round pick this year, but they still found some hidden gems with five of their first six draft picks coming on the defensive side of the ball. C.J. Allen out of Georgia will be a Week 1 starter at linebacker as he looks to follow in the footsteps of the many legendary Colts linebackers of the past. Allen’s brain is what helps him dominate in the middle, as he relies on his instincts rather than physical traits to find success. They then drafted safety A.J. Haulcy in the third round, who is expected to also start in the secondary alongside Sauce Gardner. Once you add in a few depth signings at defensive line, the Colts suddenly look like a force on defense. 

Indianapolis Colts 2026 Season Expectations

The Colts’ fans will be hoping their team looks like the unit they did in the first half of last year rather than the second half. An injury to the starting quarterback will always have serious ramifications both for on-field results and off-field morale, but Jones’ injury wasn’t the only reason the Colts collapsed. Their defense didn’t allow more than 30 points through the first 13 weeks of the season, then suddenly allowed 36, 48, and 38 in three of the final five games. Jonathan Taylor was no longer finding the holes he needed, and the Colts went from a Super Bowl-caliber team to a bottom-feeder in the blink of an eye. 

However, it is not all bad news in Indianapolis. Jones is expected to have no lingering issues from his broken ankle; Taylor is locked up for another two years after signing an extension last week; they have depth at wide receiver; and their towering offensive line is expected to be one of the better units in the league. There are a lot of reasons to think this offense can pick up where it left off. 

The question remains. How good is Daniel Jones?

Jones struggled through his first six seasons with the Giants, only eclipsing 3,000 yards or throwing more than a dozen touchdowns once after his rookie season. His decision-making was ineffective; he didn’t use his legs as much as he should’ve, and New York rightly pulled the plug on him at quarterback. During his first year with the Colts, the story was very different. Jones threw for 3,101 yards with 19 touchdowns in the 12 games before getting hurt, and looked like a very different quarterback. He was decisive in the pocket; he didn’t force balls in tight windows, and he made the fourth-quarter plays he needed to ice games. It is hard to get too excited about Jones considering what we saw in New York, but maybe a change in scenery is all he needed to succeed. 

2026 Indianapolis Colts Schedule Breakdown

No matter how you slice it, the Colts have a favorable schedule. They have the fourth-easiest based on last year’s records and the ninth-easiest based on the 2026 projected win totals. The AFC South is far from the best division in football, and the Colts will feel confident they can claim the crown. They’re taking on the NFC East and the AFC North, while their bonus games for finishing third are against the Vikings, Dolphins, and Chiefs. A late bye week is usually preferred by players, but the Colts still have lots of traveling, with a Week 4 matchup against Washington in London combined with lots of East-West travel across the country. The Colts don’t have the easiest schedule in the league with a few tough matchups circled, but they still unquestionably got a good draw this year. 

2026 Indianapolis Colts Odds

The Indianapolis Colts are expected to be on the fringe of making the playoffs with a win total of 7.5 games this year. While the Colts haven’t been anything special, with no playoff appearances in the last five years, they have still posted eight or more wins in four of those five seasons. They aren’t out of the running with +170 playoff odds and +375 odds to win the AFC South, but the oddsmakers are still confident that both Houston and Jacksonville should be better. In terms of individual awards, Daniel Jones is a frontrunner for Comeback Player of the Year with +1200 odds to win, with +9000 odds to win MVP. The only other Colt with a realistic shot at individual honors is C.J. Allen with +2000 odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, but he is still a long shot. 

If the Colts cash their +170 playoff ticket and play meaningful January football, they have +2800 odds to win the AFC and +6000 odds to win the Super Bowl. 

2026 Indianapolis Colts Season Predictions and Best Bets

The Colts have been a mediocre team across the last half-decade, and it is hard to expect anything else this season. It would be shocking to see Jones have another stellar year and the Colts finish 12-5, but it would also be equally shocking for a team built this well to finish 5-12. The Colts don’t rely on any one player to carry the bulk of the workload, and are one of the sneakiest teams in the league in terms of depth. They have multiple capable players at nearly every defensive position, a strong offensive line, and playmakers on offense who can change games. However, they are still without any true superstars, which caps their ceiling this year. 

For the first bet, we have no choice but to take Over 7.5 wins at -130 odds. Indianapolis has cleared this total in four of the last five years, and a healthy Daniel Jones combined with an easy schedule should get them over the line. I am not running to take +170 playoff odds even though I usually hunt for plus money with season-long futures, as I don’t think they reach the double-digit wins needed to make the playoffs. I was really tempted to take Daniel Jones for Comeback Player of the Year, considering his overall career resurgence may play a role, but there are too many other contenders to do so. Patrick Mahomes and Jayden Daniels are household names, while the return of Aaron Donald also spices up the list. If you are a Colts fan, I don’t hate taking a stab at +1200, but from an unbiased point of view, we will stick with the win total. 

Top Pick: Indianapolis Colts Over 7.5 Wins -130 

Get NFL picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

 

Most Recent NFL Handicapping

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers