Why Indianapolis Colts Will Go 0-16 in 2011 Season

When it was first announced that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning would likely miss all of the 2011 season, many had the Colts buried. 

Well, they were right. 

The Colts head in to their Week 13 game against their rival, the New England Patriots who are currently leading the AFC conference. This is usually one of the most exciting games during the season and a display of incredible passing between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. However, this year, the Colts will be going in to the game looking to upset the Patriots and get their first win of the season. 

While we have seen upsets in the past, I wouldn't be laying any money down on this game. 

The Patriots are playing some of their best football of the season and will not take the Colts lightly. It just isn't how New England and head coach Bill Belichick operate. 

With a likely 0-12 record after this weekend, the question of whether or not the Colts will fall all the way to 0-16 becomes more and more relevant. 

Indianapolis will be turning to their third quarterback of the year this weekend as they make Dan Orlovsky their starter. The loss of Peyton Manning has clearly been crippling, but the fact that no one else stepped up is what really did the Colts in.

Their wide receiving corps and Dallas Clark have disappeared this year without a capable passer. Joseph Addai and the running game have been just as miserable.

On top of all of that, Indy's defense has been incapable of stopping anyone. The only team they've held under 20 points this season was the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars still beat the Colts by 14 in that game. 

So can the Colts really beat anyone this season?

Here are their remaining four games after New England this year:

• @ Baltimore Ravens
• vs. Tennessee Titans
• vs. Houston Texans
• @ Jacksonville Jaguars

The Colts have zero chance of beating the Ravens. Whoever is the starting quarterback that week will not be able to move the ball on that defense and Ray Rice will have a field day running on that soft defense. 

The Titans play has been improving over the past few weeks as Chris Johnson is finally beginning to show signs of life. Tennessee beat the Colts by 17 in their first meeting this year and that was with a struggling Johnson at running back. If CJ2K can play at his level, the loss could be even worse for Indy.

The Colts do catch a break in Week 16 with the Houston Texans. The Texans have been leading the AFC South all year, but their quarterback situation may be just as bad as the Colts now. Houston recently signed Jake Delhomme to be their quarterback for the rest of the year. 

Even with quarterback struggles, Houston's defense is much better than the Colts. Not to mention Arian Foster will likely tear that defense to shreds. The game could be close if the Colts defense stepped up, but I don't see them having an answer for the Texans' rushing attack. 

Finally, Week 17 brings what may be the Colts best shot at a win. The Jaguars recently fired head coach Jack Del Rio and have essentially cast this season off. The team is being sold and we are likely to get a whole new look come next year. 

However, Jacksonville still has a quality defense and Maurice Jones-Drew. Unless they just don't care, I see an outcome similar to their Week 10 matchup. The Jaguars defense will force crucial turnovers and send the Colts to a 0-16 record. 

The last and only team to ever go 0-16 was the 2008 Detroit Lions. That team and organization was blown up from the front office to the coaching staff. It was really the year where the Lions turned their team around and got themselves to be the playoff contenders they are today. 

It'll be interesting to see how the Colts handle a 0-16 season. Will they chalk it up to the loss of Manning or will there be a huge overturn in the organization?

The Colts still have a chance to pull off an upset and save the black mark that will forever be on their organization's history. There is a reason we play the games on Sundays and not just settle the matchups on paper. Football is a tough game to predict and you can never completely write anyone off. 

With that said, Colts fans should still begin preparing for the worst.