INDIANAPOLIS --- The Colts are 1-3 in season openers under Chuck Pagano but have finished each of the last three seasons with an 11-5 record, and that's the reason why the locker room is eager to get back on the field on Monday Night Football against the Jets.
"We're a high caliber team. We're a great team," said outside linebacker Trent Cole after the game Sunday at Buffalo. "We just got to get some things cleaned up."
That's what the Colts have been doing so far this week, in preparation for primetime.
"Thank God it was week 1 and not week 15," Pagano said Monday. "The message is get it cleaned up. If we don't make the corrections now then it's on us because it's right there. It's plain and simple."
Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is hoping not to miss Monday night with a bone bruise on his knee, so much so that he came right back to the practice facility for treatment as soon as the team plane landed Sunday evening in Indianapolis around 7:30.
"Monday night speaks for itself," said Hilton. "Everybody is watching Monday night so it means a lot and especially going against a great Jets defense it means a lot. It's one that I really don't want to miss."
The stage will belong to the Colts and Jets. All NFL eyes will be fixated on Lucas Oil Stadium. This team's recent history makes it easy for the locker room to move on quickly from a season-opening loss, but that doesn't mean that accept the loss.
"Yeah, we understand it is a long season. You never want to make it acceptable to lose though. I don't think that's part of the culture of this team," said Andrew Luck. "It's not okay to lose. We've got to come back, find a way to finish, bounce back and also know we're playing at home. We're playing on Monday night in Lucas Oil (Stadium) that's rocking, that's a big atmosphere. So we've got to do our part and try and take care of business against a good Jets team."
Walking into the locker room at the start of week 2, it wasn't quiet. The players were not down. There was no panic, no doom and gloom after one game, nor should there be. Again, this team has gone 11-5 for three consecutive seasons.
They get another chance to show why in front of the entire country Monday night.
