The AFC playoff results make the Colts’ late-season collapse hurt even more, knowing how close they were to a Super Bowl
The Colts’ seven-game losing streak that caused them to miss the postseason just got even worse after seeing the results of the AFC playoffs.
The Indianapolis Colts were sitting at the top of the AFC standings entering their Week 11 bye with an 8-2 record, then everything that could go wrong for the team did in the final seven games of the year.
The Colts lost seven straight and ultimately missed the playoffs, which many have called one of the worst season collapses in NFL history. Thinking about what could have been if it weren’t for injuries and the team’s lack of execution at the end of games, the Colts’ season will haunt them for a while.
Looking at how the AFC playoffs ended up playing out makes it even worse. The New England Patriots won the AFC Championship on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl, and the offensive performances it had to face on the way there were, let’s just say, lackluster.
The AFC was ripe for the taking and the Colts fumbled away their chance at a Suprr Bowl appearance
To begin the year, the Colts weren’t only playing like the best offense in the league, they were playing like one of the best offenses the NFL has ever seen. I think you could make the case that no team at any point this year has looked better than the Colts at their peak sadly there is no trophy for that. So, the fact that they didn’t even make it to the postseason seems like a travesty.
On their way to the Super Bowl, the Patriots allowed a maximum of 16 points in three games, which the Houston Texans scored. New England’s first road game of the playoffs came in a near country-wide blizzard, with the Denver Broncos having to use its backup QB.
The Patriots were great this year and earned it’s way to the Super Bowl. But it’s hard not to look at the field and not be shocked at how bare the AFC was. No Patrick Mahomed and the Kansas City Chiefs, no Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, and no Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. The lone established elite QB to make it out of the wildcard round was Josh Allen.
The largest opportunity for the Colts to get over the hump and make a deep playoff run and even a Super Bowl appearance was right there for the taking. Instead, Indianapolis has had to watch from home while its long-time rival, the Patriots, took advantage of the opportunity.
“There’s always next year” is a phrase often said by teams that don’t reach the mountaintop and become Super Bowl champions. And it is certainly never easy to win a Super Bowl, or even make it to one. The perfect situation presented itself this year, though, and the Colts and so many others will be kicking itself all offseason and maybe even longer for not seizing the moment.
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