Wk 17 · 2026
Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns — Sun, Jan 3
Sun, Jan 3 ·
Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, OH
· Fox
Weather
No forecast yet. This one is 79 days away. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
AFC South · 2-3
at
1:00pET
IND -2.5 · total 43.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential IND by 0.9
AFC North · 3-2
What is at stake
An AFC game between two divisions. It decides neither division, but conference record is the tiebreaker that follows head-to-head, and both of these are chasing the same 7 AFC playoff places. Division standings.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Colts form
L 22-34at PITW 30-13at WSHW 19-17vs HOUL 30-33at KCL 23-41vs BAL
2026 season
Browns form
L 12-17at NYJW 27-24vs PITW 21-18vs CARW 23-19at TBL 10-34at JAX
2026 season
Colts this season
Straight up2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Against the spread3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Browns this season
Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 7
| Opponent | Colts | Browns |
|---|---|---|
| Ravens AFC | vs L 23-41 preview | vs Wk 6 · scheduled preview |
| Texans AFC | vs W 19-17 preview | vs Wk 10 · scheduled preview |
| Steelers AFC | at L 22-34 preview | vs W 27-24 preview |
| Titans AFC | vs Wk 6 · scheduled preview | at Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
| Jaguars AFC | at Wk 8 · scheduled preview | at L 10-34 preview |
| Giants NFC | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview | at Wk 15 · scheduled preview |
| Bengals AFC | vs Wk 16 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 13 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Colts leads 4–3 · Browns has won the last 2
7 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
0.9 points toward Browns
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2023-10-22 | Browns 39 — 38 Colts | at IND | Browns |
| 2020 | 2020-10-11 | Colts 23 — 32 Browns | at CLE | Browns |
| 2017 | 2017-09-24 | Browns 28 — 31 Colts | at IND | Colts |
| 2014 | 2014-12-07 | Colts 25 — 24 Browns | at CLE | Colts |
| 2012 | 2012-10-21 | Browns 13 — 17 Colts | at IND | Colts |
| 2011 | 2011-09-18 | Browns 27 — 19 Colts | at IND | Browns |
| 2008 | 2008-11-30 | Colts 10 — 6 Browns | at CLE | Colts |
Colts leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Daniel Jones QB #17 | 84/132, 754 YDS, 3 TD, 4 INT |
| Rushing | Jonathan Taylor RB #28 | 86 CAR, 353 YDS, 6 TD |
| Seth McGowan RB #20 | 12 CAR, 45 YDS | |
| Daniel Jones QB #17 | 11 CAR, 21 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Josh Downs WR #2 | 17 REC, 202 YDS |
| Tyler Warren TE #84 | 23 REC, 130 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Laquon Treadwell WR #13 | 9 REC, 123 YDS | |
| Keenan Allen WR #10 | 13 REC, 100 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Akeem Davis-Gaither LB #51 | 37 |
| Justin Walley CB #27 | 22 | |
| Bryce Boettcher LB #50 | 20 | |
| Sacks | DeForest Buckner DT #99 | 3 |
| Adetomiwa Adebawore DT #95 | 2 | |
| Jerry Tillery DT #94 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Jaylon Carlies LB #57 | 1 |
Browns leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Deshaun Watson QB #4 | 80/115, 855 YDS, 6 TD, 2 INT |
| Shedeur Sanders QB #2 | 1/1, 0 YDS | |
| Rushing | Quinshon Judkins RB #10 | 59 CAR, 177 YDS, 1 TD |
| Deshaun Watson QB #4 | 31 CAR, 127 YDS | |
| Jaleel McLaughlin RB #38 | 2 CAR, 31 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Denzel Boston WR #12 | 13 REC, 284 YDS, 2 TD |
| Harold Fannin Jr. TE #44 | 17 REC, 153 YDS, 3 TD | |
| KC Concepcion WR #1 | 17 REC, 144 YDS | |
| Quinshon Judkins RB #10 | 15 REC, 96 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Carson Schwesinger LB #49 | 35 |
| Ronnie Hickman S #33 | 24 | |
| Quincy Williams LB #5 | 23 | |
| Sacks | Mason Graham DT #94 | 4 |
| Isaiah McGuire DE #57 | 2 | |
| Maliek Collins DT #96 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Denzel Ward CB #21 | 1 |
| Grant Delpit S #9 | 1 | |
| Ronnie Hickman S #33 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.