Colts Named League's 'Biggest Winner' By NFL.com Analyst

Results from Week 15 across the rest of the NFL could have gone a bit better overall for the Indianapolis Colts, in terms of playoff standings, but nothing will pop the balloon of optimism that is uplifting the Colts at the moment. According to one NFL.com analyst, the Colts were the league's biggest winners in Week 15. (Video via Indianapolis Colts YouTube)

Sitting at 8-6 on the season and holding down the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture coming off of an emotionally-charged 27-17 win over New England Patriots in prime-time, it's hard to think of ways things could be truly better for the Indianapolis Colts.

Things are so good at the moment for the Colts that NFL.com analyst Adam Schein named Indianapolis his "biggest winner" of Week 15, which saw the Colts climb comfortably into the No. 5 seed in the playoff picture, setting them up for a strong close to the season against the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Night, and then the Las Vegas Raiders and woeful Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18. 

© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Colts control their own destiny thanks to the work they've put in the last month and a half or so, winning five of their last six to rebound from a rough 1-4 start. According to Schein, the Colts are peaking at the right time. 

Indianapolis' 27-17 win over New England on Saturday night was gigantic, fantastic and thunderous. The Colts' defense was stifling, as Darius Leonard and Co. spooked Patriots rookie Mac Jones early. But obviously, the story was Jonathan Taylor. Again. 

The second-year pro is a legit MVP candidate in a wide-open race. At 5-foot-10 and 226 pounds, Taylor is the ultimate blend of power and speed. There are so many nuggets to express his immense value to the Colts, but my favorite is quite simple: Indy is 8-0 when Taylor hits 100 yards rushing, 0-6 when he doesn't. Of course, the first three of those losses occurred in the first three weeks of the season. In the nine contests since, Taylor has

averaged

122.5 rushing yards per game, scored 19 total touchdowns and carried the Colts to an 8-3 record. On Saturday night, he ran wild on Bill Belichick's defense, racking up 170 yards on 29 carries, including a 67-yard touchdown sprint late to seal the deal. That extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one TD run to 11, one short of the NFL record shared by Hall of Famers John Riggins and LaDainian Tomlinson. 

The Colts are peaking at the right time, with five wins in their last six games -- and the only loss was a 38-31 barnburner to the defending champion Buccaneers. Indianapolis is squarely in the playoff picture and feels like a team that can make a run in January.

Indianapolis is certainly peaking at the right time, which is a scary though for the rest of the AFC, which wants no part of the Colts when they are able to run the football as well as they are at the moment, not to mention the defense which has a league-high 31 forced turnovers. 

Having a deadly combination like that in January – an elite rushing attack and an opportunistic defense — is a winning formula that leads teams to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy time and time again. 

© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Can the Colts be the next team to do that? That remains to be seen, but it's hard to not look ahead and contemplate the possibilities, especially with the way this team is rolling at the moment. 

Have thoughts on the Colts being named the league's "biggest winner" of Week 15? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel! 

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