ESPN's Seth Walderwent through a simulation for the 2026 NFL season, and things turned out well for the Indianapolis Colts.
ESPN's Football Power Index ran thousands of simulations to build out projections for the upcoming season. Walder, however, examined just one of those simulations -- No. 9,187, to be exact.
In this simulation, the Jaguars won the AFC South, but the Colts would make the playoffs as a wildcard team, finishing with a familiar 9-8 record.
"The Colts got into the playoffs by beating a Jaguars team that was resting its starters in Week 18," wrote Walder.
The Colts can be an easy team to doubt, but there is a lot to like about this roster. Daniel Jones is healthy, and around him is what should be a stout offensive line unit and plenty
of playmaking potential.
Defensively, Indianapolis should have a very good secondary, and a front that features DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, and Laiatu Latu. That said, the depth at a number of positions is in question.
Now, back to the simulation -- the Colts would also win a playoff game, defeating the Jaguars in the AFC Wildcard round before losing in the divisional round to Buffalo.
"It was a 180-degree reversal for Indianapolis, which lost its last seven games in 2025 to go from 8-2 to out of the playoffs," Walder wrote. "But the Colts' Cinderella run in 2026 ended with a 55-23 loss to top-seeded Buffalo in the divisional playoffs."
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts go on 'Cinderella run' in 2026 simulated season
