Who remembers the 2011 New York Giants season? They started off strong before stumbling in a major way mid-way through the season. They were able to win three of their last four games to win their division and host a wild card playoff game. Eli was on and off all season and their running game wasn’t the greatest either. The defense on that team was what kind of kept the Giants in the hunt during the season. The entered the playoffs at 9-7 as division winners and being picked as the underdogs. Who remembers their magical run through the playoffs to get to Indy to face off against the Pats? So why am I talking about the 2011 New York Giants? Because I feel this year’s Colts team are similar to that magical team that gave so many Colts fans a thing to cheer about in 2011 when they beat our hated rivals in our city.
The Colts are having an up and down season like the Giants did. The Giants started off hot but cooled at a bad time. However they were able to catch fire again at the right time to help make that Super Bowl run happen. The Colts haven’t been hot much this season. There have been so many damn obstacles to jump that they haven’t been able to get their feet on solid ground. Until now that is. The Colts are on another three game winning streak. They seem to be firing on all cylinders for the first time this season as well. It seems that they are catching fire at the right time.
The Colts have one more real obstacle in their way and that is the team they play this week. The Steelers are the Colts last true challenge before the playoffs come around. I get that the Texans are hot right now as well but they have to come to Indy for the next game and they have never won a game in Indianapolis and I can’t see them pulling it off this year. The Jags are doing better than most expected but I foresee them falling apart as the season starts to kick into third gear. The Colts could potentially enter the playoffs as the AFC South Champs, hosting a wild card playoff game and sitting at 10-6.
Heading into the playoffs on fire is a big part of why teams make it to the Super Bowl. Look at all those Colts teams in the past. The season was 13-3 or 14-2 but there wasn’t much fire to be had going in. They would lose in the second round and the season would be over. How many teams have entered the playoffs as major underdogs and made it to the Super Bowl? Hell the New York Jets made runs to the Super Bowl in back to back years in 2009 and 2010 under Rex Ryan with Mark Sanchez as their quarterback. Their dream was cut short in the AFC Championship Game but that doesn’t matter. Both of those teams caught fire at the right time in the regular season and held onto that heat through the playoffs. The Giants did it twice as well but in 2011 all the odd were against them. A 9-7 team shouldn’t be in the playoffs let alone making a run through them. It happened though and I feel this Colts team is gearing up for a similar run.
The Colts have all the tools to make this thing go their way. They could lose to the Steelers this Sunday but would that derail them? Even the Giants lost one game in their last stretch of final regular season games. The vision of a Super Bowl shouldn’t be dead yet. Luck will return and while he is on the mend its’ In Matt We Trust. So if you’re still a believer like I am, keep the 2011 New York Giants in mind the rest of this season and into the post season. It’s happened before and it’s going to happen again. Why couldn’t it be the Colts year to turn heads and give all the naysayers the middle finger on their way to Santa Clara in February?
