Colts open 2026 season with plenty to prove
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Cornerback Sauce Gardner is a key piece for the Colts in 2026. Photo: Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Indianapolis Colts' spectacular collapse last season has turned 2026 from a year of promise into one of pressure.
Why it matters: After an 8-2 start unraveled into an 8-9 finish, another missed postseason could force the team to reconsider the leadership that has failed to turn flashes of contention into sustained success.
- Here's what to know before Sunday's opener against the Ravens — and what to watch this season:
🐦⬛ The opps: The Ravens come to town with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and new coach Jesse Minter.
- Baltimore also went 8-9 and missed the playoffs last season, so both AFC teams are looking for a reset.
🩼 The comebacks: Wide receiver Alec Pierce is expected to play Sunday after ankle surgery in March.
- He had a career-best 1,003 receiving yards in 2025 before signing a four-year, $114 million extension in March. Head coach Shane Steichen said Monday that Pierce "should be good to go."
- QB Daniel Jones says he's also 100% after the Achilles tear that ended his 2025 season in December. He'll be backed up by former starter Anthony Richardson Sr. and Riley Leonard.
🏈 The payoff: The blockbuster acquisition of All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner last fall is the reason the Colts had no first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft. His signing also signals a more aggressive approach after last year's defensive shortcomings.
- Gardner embraces the spot, saying that he'll be the "first-round pick the next two years" and that 2026 will give Indy football fans their first full season with a little sauce on the side.
👎 The doubters: Current preseason projections generally put the Colts outside the AFC's top tier, while the rival Houston Texans are projected to win the AFC South.
- The NFL's Week 1 power rankings put the Colts at No. 20 out of 32 teams, with insiders saying it's unclear how much the team's offense will be able to lean on Pierce post-surgery.
- Expect Josh Downs and Jonathan Taylor to carry the load. If you're a fantasy player, they might also be good picks due to their anticipated production.
👀 What we're watching: If the Colts can start a new Week 1 streak.
- They had gone 11 straight seasons without an opening-week win, dating back to Andrew Luck's 2013 victory over Oakland, before finally snapping the streak with a 33-8 rout of Miami in 2025.
If you go: Colts vs. Ravens starts at 1pm Sunday.
- Tickets start at $89.
How to watch: CBS.
The bottom line: The Colts showed last year they can look like a contender. This season is about proving they can finish like one.
📬 Your turn: Think the Colts are playoff-bound or headed for disappointment? Email us at [email protected] and tell us your prediction.