The Indianapolis colts have been one of the worst teams in football after the first two weeks of the NFL season. After getting demolished by the Rams 46-9 in week one, they couldn't hold their lead and lost in overtime to the Cardinals. The Colts have struggled on offense and that could be credited to Andrew Luck not playing. Luck has been out with a shoulder injury and there is no timetable for his return. Preparing for their week three matchup against the Browns, many Colts players labeled this game a must win, and they are right.
Must win
This is the third straight season the Colts have started out 0-2 for the season.
They will try to avoid a 0-3 start, which hasn't happened since 2011. Indianapolis Colts receiver T.Y Hilton was last year's receiving yards leader in the NFL, but has struggled due to a revolving door at the QB spot the first two weeks.
Hilton spoke about the possibility of starting off the season in a 0-3 hole and he said: "It can’t happen, it won’t happen."
He knows how urgent the game is to the Colts, as their shot at the playoffs has already taken a hit. According to ESPN Stats & Info, only 12% of the teams that start the season 0-2 end up making the playoffs. The Colts were a part of that 12 percent in 2014 season, where they made it to the AFC Championship game after starting 0-2.
Head Coach Chuck Pagano understands how big of a week this is for his team, telling reporters, "We all understand the magnitude of it and the urgency.
“They [Cleveland] need a win, and we need a win. It's a big week."
Pagano is on the hot seat as a coach after back-to-back 8-8 seasons with no playoff berth, so he needs to right the ship if he wants any chance at keeping his job. Hopefully, the players rally around the coach and give that extra effort needed in order to pull out a win.
There's a chance
Even though the Colts have looked awful at the start of the season, they still have a shot at getting back in the Afc South race this week. Currently, the Jaguars, Texans, and Titans all sit a 1-1. The Jags are playing Baltimore in London, and the Ravens defense has played lights out while the Jags continue to struggle on offense.
The Texans are playing the Patriots, where they have Tom Brady. The Titans are playing the Seahawks, which is always a tough battle. If all teams lose and the Colts win, all teams will be 1-2 in the division. That would put the Colts back in the race for the AFC South title. This shows how bad of a division the AFC South is, as 1-2 after three weeks can put you in a first-place tie. The Colts need to get this win against the Browns so whenever Luck is ready to go, they'll have some momentum for him going forward.
