That has been the common refrain from fans and analysts alike all season

The Colts are in the middle of a rebuild https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Chester-Rogers-Jersey , right?. This is a team that is still a year or two away from really competing. There are just too many holes to truly run with the best teams in the NFL. The problem with that assessment is that no one bothered to tell the Colts. In a season where we were largely hoping to see marked improvement across the board and an Andrew Luck who could show that he was able to return to form after a protracted absence, we have gotten instead a well-coached team that looks like it could beat anyone in the NFL as the regular season comes to a close. In consecutive weeks the Colts have handled a Texans team that was on a 9-game win streak and a Cowboys team that was on a 5-game win streak. What is more impressive still is that rather than the old blueprint for this Colts team of letting Andrew Luck go to work and hoping that is enough, they’ve won in different ways. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY SportsAgainst the Texans it was a combination of strong defensive play and Luck taking deep shots to T.Y. Hilton. Yesterday against Dallas, it was a smothering defensive performance and a ground and pound game behind the formidable young offensive line that paved the way to a shutout win. Contributions from rookies like Darius Leonard and Tyquan Lewis as well as a young secondary made the Cowboys offense that had been rolling look totally impotent.So how good are they really? 1-5 seems like a distant memory for this team, who since that time have found their stride on defense as health and reps have given way to a very strong group. Since that time we’ve seen Darius Leonard sustaining a rookie season that could very likely end up with him as an All-Pro. As a unit the defensive line has hit their stride down the back stretch of this season, finding ways to repeatedly abuse opposing quarterbacks and making teams pay when they can’t get receivers open quickly. Complementing that effort perfectly has been the emergence of the secondary who are playing their best football of the season and have essentially shut down top receivers over the past two weeks. Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesWhat’s more, this team has taken on some of the best running backs in the NFL and proven itself up to the task of limiting them. Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus seems to be hitting his stride in terms of play calling and has really got a feel for his team’s strengths and how best to use them. While there aren’t a plethora of game breakers across the group, this defense is loaded with guys who can make a play and who do their jobs well. That kind of balance can be huge in the playoffs.In all reality though, this isn’t a team that has to have a dominant defense. The reason? Andrew Luck. Luck has had a fantastic return season and has gotten better and his arm stronger as the season has progressed. Despite the loss of Jack Doyle, and no notable receivers to speak of behind T.Y. Hilton, Luck inside of Frank Reich’s scheme has been efficient, smart, and dangerous. The offensive line since the return of Anthony Castonzo has been essentially a brick wall, allowing the second fewest sacks in the league through 15 weeks. They trail only the Saints, who have attempted 140 fewer passes than they have. That is just plain incredible. The job of this line has been ridiculous. With the renewed running game we saw yesterday Antonio Morrison Jersey , this offense only stands to get more deadly as the season goes on. Frank Reich has continued to improve, and if he is given a balanced attack that can open up the play action, this offense can be deadly. Despite a relative lack of skill position players on the offense, a combination of Reich’s play calling and Luck’s brilliance has enabled them to get players involved and be very successful. Eric Ebron, the presumed first round bust at tight end who was signed in the offseason, has been incredible, setting the franchise record for most touchdowns by a Colts tight end in a season, and has two games to go yet. Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesSo the question remains, how good is this team? At their best, as in the way we’ve seen them play the past couple weeks? They are good enough to beat any team in the NFL. Over the past few weeks as we’ve watched the white hot Saints, Rams, and Chiefs cool a bit from their ridiculous levels of the earlier parts of the season, the Colts have been the ones heating up. They got a gut check game against Jacksonville to remind them that there was no room to take a week off. Now they’ll face the next two weeks in “must-win” mode. Games against the Giants and Titans will be critical to getting into the playoffs, and they’ll need either Baltimore or Pittsburgh to drop one game to make that possible. Additionally, if the Texans were to somehow lose out and the Colts win out Kenny Moore Color Rush Jersey , they would take the division. Once in, this is a team that no one will want to face. Given their youth, it is certainly possible that they could show up flat and drop a game to anyone. However, they have proven over the past several weeks that they are not a team to be taken lightly, and through solid coaching, sound play, and breakout performances from their young defense, this is a team that can absolutely contend for a Super Bowl this season. Regardless of how this season finishes, it is tough not to be excited about the possibilities for this young team as they grow and move forward. So what do you think? Is this team ready to contend now? Leading up to last Sunday’s game between the Colts and Cowboys we took a look at a few of the critical game matchups that would help to define the outcome. After the dust had settled on the Colts’ impressive shutout win over the Cowboys, it is time to take a look back and see how those matchups played out.Pierre Desir vs Amari CooperThis first matchup, like many when you pitch a shutout, is a pretty clear and decisive victory for the Colts. Desir did a fantastic job against DeAndre Hopkins the previous week, and had a similar performance against Cooper here. It is important to note that they obviously play a lot of zone, so credit goes to the entire defensive backfield for the job they did on the Cowboys receivers. Desir deserves specific mention though for consistently knocking Cooper off his routes and helping make sure he couldn’t become a significant factor in this game. He was 4 of 7 for 32 yards in the air. Considering that the prior week he had 217 yards and 3 touchdowns, that is a massive accomplishment. Removing him from the equation left the Cowboys’ offense one-dimensional and allowed the Colts to clamp down on the run game and get after Dak Prescott. This secondary has gotten better with each week https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jeremiah-George-Jersey , and the drafting of a couple blue chip players to add to it could make them a very unpleasant group to go against.Colts Defensive Line vs Cowboys Offensive LinePhoto by Michael Hickey/Getty ImagesThe Colts defensive line has also been heating up as the season has progressed. They had 3 sacks and 5 QB hits as a team, which is solid and served as enough of a disruption to stop drives when it counted. They limited Prescott to just 206 yards passing and an interception. What’s more, Tyquan Lewis had a sack which pushed the Cowboys back out of field goal range, keeping points off the board and ending a Cowboys drive. The area where the clear victory took place was in terms of the defensive line beating the Cowboys offensive line in terms of opening holes for the running game. While they gave up yards in between the 20s, when the ball reached the red zone, the defense clamped down tight. They limited Ezekiel Elliott to 87 yards and stuffed him on the goal line when the Cowboys went for it on 4th and 1. That kind of hard-nosed performance would typically be unthinkable against the image we have in our minds of the Cowboys’ offensive line. It was exactly the performance this team delivered.T.Y. Hilton vs Byron JonesColts.comHilton didn’t find himself matched up against Byron Jones all game. Much like Pierre Desir on the Colts side, the Cowboys play a zone scheme that doesn’t necessarily employ following receivers with their cornerbacks. Hilton had one catch in coverage against Byron Jones, but was largely matched up against Chidobe Awuzie. It wasn’t a pretty matchup for anyone covering Hilton. When you factor in that he started the day with a distinct possibility of not playing, it is remarkable that he was able to do anything at all. What he was able to do was go 5 for 8 and get 87 yards. He described himself as at about 70 percent after the game was over. If anyone doubted his toughness, this season has more than quieted that. Hilton has repeatedly played through injury and continues to be a big part of the offense.Also, his taunting penalty was totally ridiculous, but right in line with the performance we have come to expect from these officials. Eric Ebron vs Cowboys linebackersIf there was a matchup that the Colts did not win, it was this one. I wouldn’t necessarily say this win goes as a credit to the Cowboys linebackers as much as simply an offensive preference toward other players in this game. Ebron didn’t seem to be part of the game plan here anyway, but his most notable contribution to this game was in the form of that ugly drop he had. He was only targeted 3 times and had 1 catch for 8 yards. Considering the use of Hilton, Nyheim Hines Denico Autry Jersey , and Marlon Mack, that isn’t all that surprising to see lower numbers from Ebron. It would be disappointing if every week the same guys were getting all the looks, but that hasn’t been the way with this offense. The Cowboys have talented linebackers and it could be that Reich decided at the outset that using Ebron to challenge them wasn’t the best way to beat this team.Frank Reich vs Jason GarrettColts.comThis one is a no contest win. Frank Reich had both his offense and defense ready to go against a familiar opponent, and it was clear from the jump. Give Matt Eberflus the credit he deserves for leading his defense to a shutout, but Frank Reich is the head coach and as such, bears the weight of blame and credit when all goes to plan. His offense was able to score effective on a very good defense, moving the ball on the ground through massive holes created by the offensive line. While past years have forced the Colts to rely on Andrew Luck to do it all, Frank Reich is not having that. Last week it was the Andrew Luck and T.Y. Show. This week? Marlon Mack setting up the play action and getting guys open downfield while the defense goes to work locking up the opposing offense. This is exactly the kind of team that, if they can get it, tends to be the one you don’t want to face in January, and Frank Reich has them humming along in just such a way as to give themselves that chance.