INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts didn’t play football on Sunday yet return from their bye week in the playoffs.
With several results going to the Colts’ way in Week 14, Indianapolis is now the 6th seed in the AFC playoffs with 4 games to go.
At 7-6, the Colts are currently in the 6th spot of the AFC with Week 15 here (remember, the NFL has 18 weeks/17 games this season). If the playoffs started today, the Colts would travel to take on the No. 3 seed Chiefs in the Wild Card Round of the Playoffs.
When you look at the standings below, you’ll notice the Colts are one of five different teams with a 7-6 record. They top the rest due to a 6-3 conference record, which is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head results.
Per FiveThirtyEight, the Colts have a 66 percent chance at making the playoffs. That number could fluctuate by more than 40 percent depending on the win/loss result versus the Patriots.
Saturday’s matchup with the Patriots is massive in keeping the Colts firmly on the right side of the playoff picture heading into the final three weeks.
If the Colts finish 3-1, they should definitely make the playoffs. Even a 2-2 finish, with wins in the AFC, could sneak them into the postseason.
A couple of things to note on the Colts’ current situation:
-Continue to cheer for the division leaders to win, especially when playing fellow Wild Card teams. If you look at the Chiefs, all 4 of their final games are against teams currently in the Wild Card mix. Simply, the Colts should want the Chiefs every week.
-The magic number for the Titans (9-4) to clinch the AFC South is down to 2. That’s a combination of Titans wins and Colts losses in the final 4 weeks of the season. So, the division remains a major long shot.
-The Patriots remain the lone AFC team that has a better conference record than the Colts. That’s huge for the Colts in establishing tiebreakers against teams they didn’t play.
Here’s a look at the AFC standings with 4 weeks remaining:
Division Leaders
1. Patriots (9-4, 7-1): @Colts, Bills, Jaguars, @Dolphins
2. Titans (9-4, 6-3): @Steelers, 49ers, Dolphins, @Texans
3. Chiefs (9-4, 4-4): @Chargers, Steelers, @Bengals, @Broncos
4. Ravens (8-5, 5-5): Packers, @Bengals, Rams, Steelers
Wild Card Teams
5. Chargers (8-5, 5-3): Chiefs, @Texans, Broncos, @Raiders
6. Colts (7-6, 6-3): Patriots, @Cardinals, Raiders, @Jaguars
7. Bills (7-6, 5-5): Panthers, @Patriots, Falcons, Jets
Outside Looking In
Browns (7-6, 4-5): Raiders, @Packers, @Steeers, Bengals
Bengals (7-6, 5-3): @Broncos, Ravens, Chiefs, @Browns
Broncos (7-6, 3-5): Bengals, @Raiders, @Chargers, Chiefs
Steelers (6-6-1, 4-4): Titans, @Chiefs, Browns, @Ravens
Raiders (6-7, 4-4): @Browns, Broncos, @Colts, Chargers
Dolphins (6-7, 4-5): Jets, @Saints, @Titans, Patriots
