Colts’ Playoff Hopes Shrink Despite Road Win
By Kyle Nishida
The Indianapolis Colts beat the Minnesota Vikings 34-6 Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, they did not make much headway in the AFC South race.
The Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans both won Sunday. Both division rivals won after entering the fourth quarter trailing. With the wins, Houston and Tennessee are now 8-6. The Colts remain a game back with a 7-7 record.
The Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 21-20. In this game, Houston trailed 13-0 in the second quarter and benched starting quarterback Brock Osweiler. Tom Savage (Yes, you read that right, Tom Savage) replaced Osweiler and led Houston to an ugly comeback win.
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Meanwhile, the Titans fell behind the Kansas City Chiefs 14-0 after one quarter. However, the Titans’ running backs DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry helped Tennessee fight back into the game. Ultimately, the Titans won 19-17 due to a field goal by Ryan Succop as time expired.
As mentioned before, the Colts still trail both of these teams by one game. The good news is neither division rival looked very good in their victory. However, the bad news is there are only two weeks left in the season.
The Colts need to win their final two games of the season. The first game is on the road against the Oakland Raiders while the last one is at home vs the Jaguars. Also, even if they both of these games, they still need a lot of help.
The Colts need the Texans to loss the final two games of the season. Houston can eliminate Indianapolis from the division race with either a win in Week 16 over the Cincinnati Bengals or in Week 17 over the Titans.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis needs Tennessee to lose one of its final two games. The Colts would be eliminated if the Titans win their next two games. Their Week 16 matchup is against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and they host the Texans in Week 17.
In short, this following scenario is the only way Indianapolis can make the playoffs.
- Colts beat Raiders in Week 16 and Jaguars in Week 17
- Texans lose to Bengals in Week 16 and Titans in Week 17
- Titans lose to Jaguars in Week 16 BUT beat the Texans in Week 17
Next: Desperate Colts Pick Up a Dominate Win in Minnesota
Indianapolis’ postseason odds were slim entering Week 15, and the team’s chances did not get any better despite a win over Minnesota. It is starting to look more-and-more like the Colts will miss the playoffs for the second straight season.