The 2017 Indianapolis Colts season was doomed before it kicked off, defined by the sidelined right shoulder of Andrew Luck. With their franchise quarterback out all year, head coach Chuck Pagano steered a sinking ship to a dismal 4-12 record and a third-place AFC South finish. New general manager Chris Ballard tried reshaping the roster by signing free agents Jabaal Sheard and Johnathan Hankins, but without Luck, the team hit rock-bottom. It was a bleak campaign that predictably cost Pagano his job at season's end.

With Luck out, the offense fell to Jacoby Brissett, who was traded to Indy right before the season. Brissett was hung out to dry, absorbing a league-high 52 sacks while passing for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. The offense sputtered, ranking 30th in scoring with 263 points at a measly 16.4 points per contest. Ageless running back Frank Gore grinded out 961 rushing yards, while wideout T.Y. Hilton managed 966 yards to earn a Pro Bowl nod alongside tight end Jack Doyle, who caught 80 passes. Still, the sluggish, check-down heavy unit was painful to watch.

Defensively, things were just as grim, as Indianapolis surrendered 404 points (25.3 ppg) to rank 30th in scoring defense. The unit lacked game-changers, though Jabaal Sheard provided a modest pass rush with 5.5 sacks. Rookie safety Malik Hooker showed ball-hawking flashes with 3 interceptions before a torn ACL ended his season after seven games. Cornerback Rashaan Melvin also chipped in 3 picks, but the defense was routinely picked apart, allowing 5.7 yards per play as opponents consistently wore down an overmatched, thin defensive front.

The season was a masterclass in second-half collapses. The misery started with a 46-9 Week 1 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams under Scott Tolzien. While Brissett provided brief sparks in tight wins over the Browns and 49ers, the Colts specialized in heartbreak, blowing late leads to Arizona and Tennessee. The absolute rock-bottom arrived in Week 14 during the famous 'Snow Bowl' in Buffalo, where they fought through a literal whiteout blizzard only to drop a miserable 13-7 overtime loss to the Bills.

Missing the playoffs was guaranteed long before a Week 17 win over Houston closed the ledger. The legacy of the 2017 Colts is a franchise stuck in a depressing holding pattern, squandering a year of their quarterback's prime. There were no individual accolades, only the bittersweet milestone of Frank Gore climbing the all-time rushing charts in his final year with the team. It marked the definitive end of the Pagano era, leaving Ballard to completely tear down and rebuild the roster from scratch.