Indianapolis Colts appear twice on list of top 10 offenses since 2000
The Indianapolis Colts boast two of the NFL's best offenses since the year 2000, according to PFN's metrics.
The Indianapolis Colts boast two of the NFL's best offenses since the year 2000, according to Pro Football Network's metrics.
PFN recently analyzed the previous 25 years to find the league's best offenses during that span. To do this, PFN used their Offense+ metric, a weighted stat that takes into account yards per play, points per drive, turnover rate, success rate, and much more.
On PFN's top 10 list, the Colts appeared twice. The first time was at No. 8 with the 2006 offense, which of course, helped the Colts in the Super Bowl that year.
"The Colts' passing game was highly efficient, finishing with a 55.6% pass success rate and a +0.33 EPA per dropback," wrote PFN. "Indianapolis was elite on late downs, converting on 55% of its attempts. The offense also scored a touchdown on better than 66% of its red-zone trips."
Overall, the Colts' offense that season averaged 26.6 points per game, which was the third-most in the NFL that year. By yards per play, they also ranked third, while Peyton Manning led the NFL in touchdowns and passer rating.
Wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne each surpassed 1,300 receiving yards, along with running back Joseph Addai eclipsing 1,000 yards on the ground.
The Colts' second appearance on this list came at No. 3 with the 2004 offense. The Colts would go 12-4 that season, losing in the AFC Divisional round.
"The Colts were firing on all cylinders in 2004, finishing the year with 6.7 yards per play and 2.78 points per drive," wrote PFN. "They had a 56.9% pass success rate, a 48.2% rush success rate, and a +0.26 EPA per play."
This Colts' offense included four future Hall of Famers with Manning, Harrison, Wayne, and Edgerrin James. As noted by PFN, the Colts were first in scoring this season and second in yards.
Manning would throw for over 4,500 yards with 49 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions, while leading the league in passer rating. Harrison and Wayne each eclipsed 1,100 receiving yards, with James totaling over 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
Ranked ahead of the 2004 Colts were the 2007 New England Patriots at No.2 and then the 2020 Green Bay Packers at No. 1.
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