No one associated with the Indianapolis Colts is suggesting they have found a sustainable or replicable model for winning football games in the modern NFL. Scoring 13.8 points per game in 2022 while hoping your defense can perform minor miracles in the meantime is not going to result in many championship parades.

But the Colts, improbably, have done just this through their first five games. They have the NFL’s lowest-scoring offense, an offensive line that is getting steamrolled, a quarterback in Matt Ryan who has committed 10 turnovers, and – on Thursday night – they played without the league’s defending rushing champion in Jonathan Taylor.

How have the Colts risen above all this dysfunction to find themselves within striking distance in the AFC South with a 2-2-1 record? Mostly by fielding a defense that has stiffened when it was most critical, buying time for Ryan and the offense to limp to the finish line and score just enough points late in games.

The Colts currently have the NFL’s most dominant fourth-quarter defense. Indianapolis has not allowed a single point in the fourth quarter or overtime this season and leads the NFL in defensive expected points added in fourth quarters. Then, in Thursday’s win over the Denver Broncos, the unit took things to the next level and displayed some defensive playmaking in the most critical moments.

“Our defense played outstanding,” a relieved Ryan said afterward.

It’s the defense that has bailed out Ryan and the offense, allowing the unit to rally from 17 points down in a Week 1 tie with the Houston Texans and mount game-winning drives against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Broncos on Thursday.

For all the offseason conversation about the addition of Ryan and the presence of Taylor, much of this team’s star power is on defense. And those stars have shown up when called upon, perhaps none more than cornerback Stephon Gilmore in Thursday’s fourth quarter and overtime.

Gilmore swiped an interception from Russell Wilson in the end zone with 2:19 left in regulation that positioned the Colts to drive for a game-tying field goal. Then, in overtime, Gilmore struck again, deflecting Wilson’s final fourth-down attempt – again in the end zone – to end the game.

“I love it,” he said. “That’s why I play the game -- to make plays, to have your back against the wall.”

Of Wilson testing him in those key moments, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year said, “I like that. It’s fun.”

But it wasn’t just Gilmore. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner dominated against the Broncos. He did it all: Two sacks, eight tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a pass deflection. And Buckner, according to coach Frank Reich, is doing it with a relatively serious elbow injury that has him playing through significant pain. Buckner was limited to just 19 snaps in Week 4, but refused to take a back seat four days later (59 snaps on Thursday).

“It’s mental for sure, telling yourself you’re good and just grinding it out,” he said. “I tell the guys all the time we have to put it on the line for each other. So, if I can go, I’m gonna go. I’m gonna be out there grinding with my guys.”

Throw in a 1.5-sack performance by star edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, a well-timed and long overdue big coverage play from Pro Bowl cornerback Kenny Moore and it’s clear how the Colts’ defense rose to the occasion in the late going.

Of the late-game performances, Buckner said, “As a defense that’s what you want. You want the game to be in your hands. You want to end the game.”

The way you do that is by getting stops when they matter most. Consider this example of how the Colts have done that: They have allowed opponents to convert just 2 of 21 third-down attempts (9.5%) in the fourth quarter and overtime. Only the Giants have been better. It’s allowed the defense to give the offense more chances when it most needed those opportunities.

At some point, the Colts’ defense might not be able to hold up its recent run. And, at that point, the offense will need to do its part. But, for now, the Colts are defying the odds because they have a defense that won’t be denied.

“It’s all about standing up to the challenge,” Buckner said.