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Power Rankings: Colts remain at the bottom after a tough loss to the Bengals

By Chris Blystone

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Cincinnati Bengals v Indianapolis Colts Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

After a competitive outing with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts didn’t see much movement from their early ranking. While they undoubtedly have issues, it was clear from the film that while this is not a top tier team, they are hardly one of the worst teams in the league.

However, you don’t get moved up in the ranks for losing games you ought to have won, so this is not unexpected, and if they don’t produce wins, that won’t change. Here is how the Colts stand in the rankings after week one.

NFL.com’s Elliot Harrison ranks the Colts 30th.

For someone who has not played meaningful football in 20 months, Andrew Luck fared pretty well on Sunday. Tough loss in front of the home crowd, no doubt. However, seeing Luck play (and throw 53 passes without any kind of setback) was encouraging. He’s still not pushing the ball vertically much, outside of a nice 26-yard scoring toss to Eric Ebron. The old Luck-to- T.Y. Hilton exchange was evident, as well, bringing back shades of 2016 with a short touchdown strike in the third quarter.

ESPN ranks the Colts 29th.

The Colts signed TE Eric Ebron after the Lions released him back in March, and the newcomer scored the first touchdown of the season for Indianapolis. There could be more to come for Ebron, as Andrew Luck targeted his tight ends 16 times on Sunday.

USA Today’s Nate Davis ranks the Colts 30th.

Resuscitated Andrew Luck nearly willed Indy to Week 1 victory ... and, as it pretty much always was, that may be case every week.

Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab ranked the Colts 29th, up from 30th.

The Colts had a good chance to beat the Bengals, thanks to Andrew Luck. The game was a lot closer than the final score, thanks to a fumble return touchdown by Cincinnati when Indianapolis was driving with a chance to take the lead. Keep in mind that it’s incredibly rare for a team with a top-level quarterback to sink too low. But the roster around Luck is just not NFL quality.

CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco ranks the Colts 31st, down from 30th.

Getting Andrew Luck back will make them competitive, but that defense can be a season-long problem.

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