Indianapolis Colts: 2013 NFL Playoff Scenarios

Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

What we know for sure at this point is that the Indianapolis Colts are going to the 2013 NFL playoffs. We don’t know much more than that until after the New England Patriots are done playing. It’s hard to believe that after all of the injuries and potential setbacks that this team has seen, they not only made the playoffs but won their division. They have put themselves in a good position no matter what happens. Most Colts fans looked at this as a bad season for this team and I would agree with them. If this is what a bad season looks like, I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

The Games

Let’s take a look at all of the possible scenarios for the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs. If you’re an Indianapolis Colts fan there are three must watch games this Sunday. The first and most important is the Indianapolis Colts vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1:00 pm. If the Colts lose this game the will have the fourth seed no matter what. On the other hand, if they win there are a world of possibilities.

The next game to watch is also at 1:00 pm, the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. As far as actually watching the game goes, it may be a little difficult. These are both AFC games and fall under the CBS contract. That means that unless you have NFL Sunday Ticket or some kind of other sports package, you will probably only be able to actually watch one of these games.

The final game that you need to watch is the 4:25 pm match-up of the New England Patriots vs. the Buffalo Bills. This one will again be on CBS, but you should be able to watch it since it is coming on after the other two games are over. If you must watch all three games and are worried about missing them, this would be the perfect excuse to go out with some guys to a sports bar. As if you really need an excuse for something like that.

The Impact

Now here’s what this all means. Like I mentioned before, the Colts must win their game for anything else to matter. If the Colts win they could end up with the second or third seed. It’s hard to believe that the Colts still have a chance to get the second seed and a first round bye. For the Colts to get the second seed they must win and the Patriots and Bengals must both loose. So after the Colts game put on your Bills hats and shirts (I’m sure the local Goodwill or thrift shop will have some that Bills fans have already thrown out).

The next scenario is for the third seed. This doesn’t give the Colts a first round bye, but it does allow them to play the team with the worst record and hopefully a better chance to win the first game. For this to happen the Colts again must win. The two other teams, the Bengals and the Patriots, must split. One must win and one must lose. It doesn’t matter which one.

In other words, if the Colts win, the Patriots win and the Bengals loose, then the Colts get the third seed. If the Colts win, the Bengals win and the Patriots loose (which we all want no matter what), then the Colts still get the third seed.

The final, and less favorable, scenario is for the fourth seed. As I’ve mentioned before, if the Colts loose they are the fourth seed. Another way they could wind up with the fourth seed is if the Colts, Bengals and Patriots all win.

If you’re heads not spinning at this point, you’re either a football genius or you just don’t care. I’ve put together a little chart that might help make sense out of all of this.

Either way, the Colts are in the playoffs and that’s a great place to be at the end of any season.