The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2026 Football Preview. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps, as well as penalty analysis from Joe Gibbs. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2026 Football Preview.
Penalties are an under-discussed aspect of NFL success and failure. Average teams can become playoff contenders with good discipline, and good teams can become great simply by winning the penalty battle.
Let's look at how the Indianapolis Colts performed from a penalty perspective in 2025 and where they can improve in 2026.
Indianapolis Colts 2026 Penalty Outlook: Discipline, Flags & Hidden Edges
The Good
- The Colts excelled at successfully navigating the two highest-volume penalty categories, with a below-average 32% of their overall infractions committed via false start and offensive holding.
- The Colts finished the season as one of the least penalized teams via pre-snap infractions, ranking 28th in per-game average.
- The Colts recorded the largest net positive penalty advantage versus opponents in the fourth quarter of games in 2025.
- The Colts had the ideal combination of generating a high volume of defensive pass interference penalties while generating an above-average 18.3 yards per infraction.
- A continuation from the above point, Alec Pierce was a top-three wide receiver at generating beneficial defensive pass interference penalties and subsequent yardage in 2025.
The Bad
- Only 23% of beneficial automatic first downs generated by the Colts occurred on third-down plays, placing them in the bottom-five performers in this category last season. That is on the back of a 2024 campaign where the Colts averaged the second-fewest beneficial automatic first downs on the all-important third-down plays.
- The Colts were lackluster in generating offensive holding and false start infractions on opponents when playing at Lucas Oil Stadium, ranking 30th and 32nd in those categories.
- The Colts ranked as the No. 1 penalized team for face mask penalties. This is arguably the most random penalty category. The good news for the Colts is that teams rarely top the list in consecutive seasons.
Grade: B
After a meteoric start to the 2025 season, the Colts collapsed down the stretch.
The Colts' hopes largely rest on the shoulders of Daniel Jones, and Shane Steichen will be banking on him regaining that early 2025 form, despite coming off an Achilles injury.
The harsh reality for Indianapolis is that we could copy and paste their season preview dating back many, many years, and the story remains the same.
The Colts possess a solid roster, but the NFL is a quarterback-dependent league.
Until they solve that puzzle, Indianapolis will be no more than a fringe playoff contender moving forward.
This analysis continues in the 2026 Football Preview
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Warren Sharp’s 600+ page full-color PDF, the 2026 Football Preview, is unlike anything you have read. Stunning visualizations, including new heat maps and stat pages, are built with the reader in mind. Innovative, next-level thought processes abound in every team chapter and article.
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Warren Sharp's book shares insights into the players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal: to prepare you for the 2026 NFL season with the smartest information delivered in the fastest, most direct way possible for optimal reviewing and retention.
- Team Chapters previews are in-depth, data-driven & full of actionable info
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- Penalty analysis for all 32 NFL teams
