Carlie Irsay-Gordon’s mantra for 2026 Colts is…

The story of the Colts’ 2025 season was that, ultimately, the team didn’t find a way to turn the tide against a seven-game losing streak. Injuries to Jones, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and cornerback Sauce Gardner certainly played a role, but Irsay-Gordon has made clear since January those cannot be an excuse.

“That’s something every team goes through,” Irsay-Gordon said.

Instead, the Colts lost five one-score games and had tremendous chances to win against the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks between Weeks 12-15. By the time the Colts lost back-to-back one-score games to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Texans to end the 2025 season, they had crashed out of the NFL playoff picture.

“What are you going to do when that adversity comes? Are you going to stay disciplined, are you going to stay consistent or are you going to go into the fetal position? And I think that kind of comes down to the find a way mindset,” Irsay-Gordon said, “which is to have that inner belief.”

Irsay-Gordon is confident in the people charged with carrying out her mantra, from general manager Chris Ballard to head coach Shane Steichen to Jones, along with the players, coaches and staffers that populate the Colts. Retaining the triumvirate of Ballard, Steichen and Jones gives the Colts the sort of top-down consistency they believe can lead to replicating the success of the first 10 weeks of 2025, when this team was 8-2 and looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender.