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Over the last four months of the NFL season, we finally stand here looking at the final four teams remaining in the playoffs. Today, the New England Patriots will host the Jacksonville Jaguars, and then the Philadelphia Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings. The two winners will square off in Super Bowl LII in two weeks (February 4).
Among those four teams are several former Indianapolis Colts players who will now possibly get to the Super Bowl; an opportunity they did not achieve while with the Colts.
EAGLES
The Eagles have former Colts starting cornerback Patrick Robinson on their roster. Robinson spent one season in Indianapolis (2016), starting six-of-seven games. Injuries kept him out for half of the season. This year in Philadelphia, Robinson appeared in all 16 regular season games and started eight. He tied his career highs in interceptions (4) and pass breakups (18).
JAGUARS
The Jaguars have former Colts fan favorite, long snapper Matt Overton. He was the Colts’ long snapper from 2012-’16 but was let go during the Colts’ 2017 youth movement. Overton played nine games for Jacksonville this year before landing on Injured Reserve with a season-ending shoulder injury.
The Jaguars also have former Colts preseason standout wide receiver Tevaun Smith on their practice squad. He spent the 2016 season and 2017 offseason in Indianapolis. Linebacker Deon King also spent a brief period of time with the Colts from November 2016 to May 2017.
PATRIOTS
The Patriots easily have the most former Colts among these four teams. Most notably are tight end Dwayne Allen and wide receiver Phillip Dorsett . Both were sent to New England in separate trades this offseason. The Colts got a fourth-round pick (Zach Banner) in exchange for Allen, and quarterback Jacoby Brissett in exchange for Dorsett. Both Allen and Dorsett had career lows in pretty much every stat this year.
Patriots defensive linemen Ricky Jean Francois and Lawrence Guy both spent time in Indianapolis and had an impact with the Colts. Francois was with the Colts from 2013-’14, and Guy was with the Colts from 2012-’13.
Last, and perhaps the most painful is running back Dion Lewis. In Ryan Grigson’s defense, Lewis was bouncing around the league and dealt with several injuries when he was signed by the Colts (2014), but Lewis was only with the Colts for a week. The following year, he was signed by the Patriots and became a stud. Since 2015, Lewis has started 19-of-30 games and has 378 touches for 2,109 yards (5.6 avg) and 13 touchdowns on offense to go with 25 kickoff returns for 605 yards (24.2 avg) and 1 touchdown.
VIKINGS
Minnesota has the most inconsequential Colts ties. They have tight end Nick Truesdell on their practice squad. He spent a whopping three days with the Colts in training camp in 2016. Last offseason during the veteran combine, he was impressive, running the 40 in about 4.5 seconds at 6-6, 252 pounds. The Colts were one of nine teams to offer Truesdell a contract, but he chose the Vikings.