ESPN's Bill Barnwelldoes see some reasons to believe that the Indianapolis Colts can rebound from an 0-2 start.
Heading into Week 3, there are eight 0-2 teams, and Barnwell ranked each of them. The Colts came in at No. 3.
In part, Barnwell's optimism stems from the slow start that the rest of the AFC South is off to, along with the Colts' schedule getting easier after several tough games to start the season.
However, first, the Colts must get past a Houston team that is also 0-2. As Barnwell notes, this could be a playoff elimination game, with only 3.9% of teams since 2002 making the playoffs after an 0-2 start.
While Barnwell may have the Colts as one of the better 0-2 teams out there -- for whatever that is worth -- he mentioned the problems
that this team has as well.
The passing game is generating very few explosive gains, which is likely a product of Alec Pierce's limited playing time, and he is now on injured reserve. The defensive performance from the Colts has also been a disaster.
"Indy is allowing teams to average more than 12 yards per throw to the hashes and seams this season, the worst mark in the NFL," wrote Barnwell. "The average pass attempt in that direction is generating nearly 0.7 EPA per play for opposing defenses, which is better than what the typical Josh Allen dropback has looked like this season."
According to ESPN's FPI model, the Colts have a 25.9% chance of making the playoffs, which ranks 20th across the NFL.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: ESPN details Colts chances of making postseason after 0-2 start
