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2019 NFL Power Rankings: Who heads into summer at No. 1?

By Ian Cummings

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 23: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 23: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Frank Reich of the Indianapolis Colts gives a fist pump to the fans after the Indianapolis Colts win over the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Frank Reich of the Indianapolis Colts gives a fist pump to the fans after the Indianapolis Colts win over the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

No. 4 – Indianapolis Colts

Frank Reich looks happy. And if you’re a Colts fan, you should, too.

The Colts shocked the NFL last year when, after starting off the season 1-5, they rallied, winning nine of their last ten games en route to a wild card berth. The Colts wound up beating up on the AFC South champions in the first round, before falling at the hands of the Chiefs. But this was a team that was never supposed to compete so early. Nevertheless, they did. And now, they enter the 2019 season with a special kind of unbridled hope.

That hope resonates brightest in Andrew Luck, the talented quarterback who mounted on an MVP-caliber campaign last season. But while Luck is the face of the franchise, he’s far from the only face that matters. Frank Reich is the resolved leader who uses his smarts and cunning to out-strategize opponents. Matt Eberflus is the defensive coordinator whose performance in 2018 led to multiple job interviews. And Chris Ballard is the general manager who made it all possible.

The Colts have the front office to find winning talent, the coaches to develop winning talent, and the winning talent to, well, win. Their offensive skill position cast is packed to the brim with versatile players, such as Nyheim Hines, Parris Campbell, T.Y. Hilton, and Eric Ebron. Their offensive line, after last season, can contend as one of the best in the league. Their defense has an impressive mix of young talent and veteran experience, and with Eberflus leading the charge, no player is ever in the wrong spot.

Slight talent and depth deficiencies across the defense bump the Colts down below the top three, but make no mistake; Indianapolis is back, and Indianapolis is back for a long time. They are the team to beat in the AFC South, but it’s hard to see anyone beating them.

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