For the third straight season, the Colts finished with an 11-5 record and a playoff spot.

It was the second year in a row they won the AFC South. With making the playoffs each of the past three seasons, the Colts have gotten one round further every year. The 2012 Colts lost in the Wild Card Round, the 2013 Colts lost in the Divisional Round. and the 2014 lost the AFC Championship to the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots. There was certainly a step or two forward for the Colts in 2014, but there was still enough left to desire for the team going forward.

What Went Right

When evaluating what went right with the Colts, most people would start with Spotrac.com, the Colts will have about $33.7 million worth of cap space entering the offseason. That doesn’t include the possible savings in cutting ties with players like Walden, Jean-Francois, or LaRon Landry. The suspension of Trent Richardson could also make it possible to void the final year of his contract, saving over $3 million.

The free agent market looks to be heavy on pass rushers, which is something the Colts will need to improve. While the defense finished ninth in sack percentage, much of that came from situational pass rushers like Jonathan Newsome, who finished with 6.5 sacks while playing only 37.2 percent of the defensive snaps. There wasn’t a consistent play-to-play threat coming off the edge.

Reggie Wayne’s future is also up in the air. Wayne will be 37 years old in November and is coming off two injury riddled and unproductive seasons. Even without Wayne, the Colts have a fairly deep corps of receivers and added CFL receiver Duron Carter.

Over the past three seasons, the Colts have been among the top teams in the AFC despite obvious places where the roster could improve. This offseason is set up to fill some of those holes with a chance to jump into the Denver and New England tier of Super Bowl contenders.