Everything that has to happen for the Colts to steal a spot in the AFC playoff picture from the Texans in Week 17 and 18
The Colts’ odds of making the playoffs are slim but not impossible, so here is everything that has to happen for them to steal the final wildcard spot away from their AFC South rivals, the Texans.
The Indianapolis Colts are down to their final life in this year’s playoff race. Five of the seven spots in the AFC playoff picture have been claimed. One of which will go to the winner of the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens. The final wildcard spot will be owned by either the Colts or their AFC South rivals, the Houston Texans.
The Texans are in the driver’s seat for that spot, as they will clinch the playoffs if they beat the Los Angeles Chargers today. If the Chargers can do the Colts a solid, though, and beat Houston, things could get really interesting in Week 18.
The Colts’ path to the playoffs isn’t simple, but it is plausible
If the Texans lose to the Chargers today, it would keep the Colts in the hunt for the playoffs. Then, if Indy could follow that up with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, it would set up a very important matchup between the Colts and Texans in Week 18. The Colts would travel to Houston for a game with significant playoff implications.
If the Texans were to win, they would secure the final wildcard spot. However, if the Colts could pick up the win, they would have a solid shot at making the playoffs, despite currently having only a 2% chance. The reason for this is that it would then proceed to a strength of victory tiebreaker, which presently favors the Colts.
Eleven matchups remain that affect the strength of the victory tiebreaker between the Colts and the Texans. The Colts need five of those results to go their way to win it, and the Texans need seven more to tie and eight to win the tiebreaker.
Remaining matchups that affect the potential Colts and Texans’ strength of victory tiebreaker
- Week 17:
- Baltimore Ravens @ Green Bay Packers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Miami Dolphins
- Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills
- Chicago Bears @ San Franciso 49ers
- Los Angeles Rams @ Atlanta Falcons
- Week 18:
- Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons
- New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills
- Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers
- Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers
- Kansas City Chiefs @ Las Vegas Raiders
* Bolded team = Helps Colts’ strength of victory
* Italized team = Helps Texans’ strength of victory
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