INDIANAPOLIS -- They've won with dominating defense and with explosive offense. They've notched victories with their starting quarterback and backup quarterback.
Whether the Indianapolis Colts find themselves in an offensive shootout or a defensive struggle -- they've had their share of both lately -- this team just keeps defying logic.
Long expected to fade from the picture after losing starting quarterback Anthony Richardson and immediately going on a three-game losing streak, the Colts moved to 5-5 with Sunday's 10-6 win over the New England Patriots and are again trying to defy logic in another manner: By making a run at the postseason.
Insert the Jim Mora "playoffs?!?" rant here.
"I just want to win, however we can do that," quarterback Gardner Minshew said after a victory in the NFL's lowest-scoring game of the season. "Let's get in the playoffs and give ourselves a chance. I believe this team, if we can stick together, we'll continue to find ways to win and put ourselves in a good spotlight."
Granted, the Colts have a long way to go. And given the jumbled mess in the AFC standings -- only the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens have more than six victories -- there will be plenty of competition when it comes to jockeying for postseason berths.
But with a much-needed bye on tap after the win in Frankfurt, Germany, and with a favorable schedule that features just three teams that currently have a winning record, the Colts, improbably, find themselves in the mix. ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Colts a 23.7% chance of making the playoffs.
"Going into the bye 5-5, I mean, everything is in front of us," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "We have seven more games, and it's just a confidence factor knowing that we have a realistic push to make a playoff run, and we have a lot of guys that are banged up, and we have this bye week to really recover and get our bodies right to make this push."
Still, the reality is the Colts are a very imperfect team.
Start with their offense. It has scored just three touchdowns in the past two games, but the Colts managed to win both. It was a sharp contrast from where Indianapolis began the season, with the Colts ranking in the top 10 in scoring and yards per game through Week 8.
But the Colts found a way to rise above their shortcomings. Cornerback Kenny Moore's pair of pick-sixes powered the Colts past Carolina in Week 9. The pass rush led the way with a five-sack effort against New England that led to the benching of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones in Week 10.
That might suggest the Colts' beleaguered defense is turning a corner even while the offense is stuck in a rut. Things had reached a critical level three weeks ago, with Indianapolis allowing 511 yards of total offense in a loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 8.
Time will tell whether the trend of the past two weeks holds up, but the Colts deserve credit given all they've been confronted with this season.
They've overcome multiple injuries to Richardson, this year's fourth overall draft pick. They weathered a contract standoff and injury that sidelined All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor for the first four games of the season. A stunning series of injuries at cornerback left the team starting seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones and Darrell Baker Jr. -- a player who had been benched earlier in the season. Their run defense struggled on Sunday, but that's a direct result of nose tackle Grover Stewart -- one of the NFL's top run defenders -- being hit with a PEDs suspension that ends in Week 14.
Rookie coach Shane Steichen has earned significant credit for keeping the team on course through it all, adapting his offense to a new quarterback along the way while ensuring his players did not lose confidence during the three-game skid.
Steichen believes it can all start coming together for the Colts during the stretch run.
"I think you start playing your best football in November and December, and you start climbing," he said. "You kind of find out about teams late second half of the season."
Even if they fall short of the postseason, this has been a season of progress for the Colts. They already have surpassed their win total from last season, when they went 4-12-1 and coach Frank Reich was fired in-season. The offensive line has regrouped and once again become a strength of the team, with players crediting the role of position coach Tony Sparano Jr. Meanwhile, Taylor -- armed with a new $42 million contract extension -- has regained his form and given the running game a major boost.
Even Richardson, long sidelined by a season-ending shoulder injury, showed signs he can be the quarterback savior the Colts have been seeking since Andrew Luck's shocking retirement in 2019.
The Colts haven't made the playoffs since 2020. And they've got a long road to go before getting there this season. But they're enjoying their unlikely path to this point.
"I'm excited," Buckner said. "The guys know we have an actual chance to make a push."