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Field Yates, ESPN Insider 10y

Colts' playoff path getting tougher

NFL

The NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint. After all, one third of the 2013 playoff field was made up of teams that lost during Week 1 of the regular season. So there is no need for teams to sweat yet, even if 2014 started off on the wrong foot. Recent history suggests, however, that starting the season 0-2 leaves a team at long odds to reach the postseason. Only 23 teams have done so since 1990, a total of 11.7 percent of the teams to lose their first two games.

Which brings us to the 0-1 Indianapolis Colts, a team that I consider a virtual lock to win the AFC South in 2014. The Colts have a difficult matchup in Week 2 -- a Monday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles -- and if they fall again Monday night, the odds suggest that they have a mountain to climb to get back to the postseason.

I'm not ready to go that far, as I still believe the Colts will win this division for the second straight season, regardless of Monday's outcome. But it won't be accomplished as easily as I previously anticipated, and the issue has less to do with their tough opening schedule and more to do with an AFC South that looks much improved coming out of Week 1.

Let's dig deeper into the trio of AFC South teams Indianapolis is looking to surpass once again this season, with some insight based on their Week 1 performances.

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