Leading into training camp, we will be taking an in-depth look at the Bengals’ 2026 opponents. The Bengals head over to Indianapolis in Week 16 to battle the Colts.
2025
The Colts finished third in the AFC South in 2025 with an 8-9 record. Indianapolis started the season 8-2 before its Week 11 bye then lost its last seven games. Through Week 8, the Colts averaged 33.8 points per game on offense, leading the league. Per TruMedia, they averaged 3.46 points per drive through Week 8. For comparison, the 2007 Patriots averaged 3.19 points per drive on their way to an unbeaten regular season before losing in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.
Quarterback Daniel Jones was a driving force behind the team’s hot start in his first year in Indianapolis, but he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, ending his season. The Colts started 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard in Week 15 before signing 44-year old QB Philip Rivers for the team’s final three games.
On the ground, Jonathan Taylor was again one of the most productive running backs in the NFL, leading the league in attempts (323) and rushing touchdowns (18) and finishing third in rushing yards (1,621) on his way to the Pro Bowl.
Through the air, WR Michael Pittman Jr. led the team with 80 receptions and seven touchdowns, while WR Alec Pierce paced the group with 1,003 yards receiving. Rookie TE Tyler Warren led the 2025 draft class with 76 receptions. Overall, the Colts ranked eighth in the NFL with 27.4 points per game and ninth with 345.9 yards per game.
Defensively, the Colts allowed 24.2 points per game, the 12th most in the league, and 349.8 yards per game, the 10th most in the league. Indianapolis allowed the third-most passing yards per game last season. It made a midseason trade to attempt to improve the secondary, acquiring CB Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. Gardner played in four games for the Colts before a calf injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
Offseason Changes
The Colts re-signed both Jones and Pierce this offseason, Jones to a two-year deal and Pierce to a four-year deal. They looked to improve a pass rush that ranked 15th in the league with 39 sacks, bringing in DE Arden Key on a two-year contract and DE Michael Clemons on a three-year deal. Indianapolis traded Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers plus a seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-round pick. With the lack of depth at receiver following the trade, the team signed WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. The Colts also brought in two former Bengals in CB Cam Taylor-Britt and LB Akeem Davis-Gaither.
Indianapolis traded their 2026 first-round pick in the Gardner deal. It selected Georgia LB C.J. Allen with their first pick of the draft, No. 53 overall, to fill a linebacker void left from trading LB Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers. The Colts focused on defense in the draft, also selecting LSU S A.J. Haulcy, Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher and two more defensive ends in Florida’s George Gumbs Jr. and Ohio State’s Caden Curry.