The Colts are extremely lucky Buffalo has something to play for in Week 17.
The Indianapolis Colts picked the worst possible time to suffer their most crushing loss of the season, as their second-half collapse against the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Sunday makes their playoff path extremely complicated.
In order for Indy to avoid become the third 11-win team to miss the playoffs (assuming they beat Jacksonville), they need one of three things to happen before their late afternoon kickoff in Week 17: Baltimore to lose to Cincinnati, Cleveland to lose to Pittsburgh, or Miami to lose to Buffalo.
Since the AFC North is astoundingly unpredictable, we would assert that the latter matchup is the most intriguing for the Colts in terms of their playoff hopes. After all, Buffalo needs a win to lock up the No. 2 seed, so you better believe they will treat their matchup vs Miami like a playoff game.
Frank Reich: "I'll definitely be a Bills fan this weekend."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) December 28, 2020
In a vacuum, Indianapolis needs Miami to lose to get in. If Buffalo didn’t beat Pittsburgh two weeks ago, then they would likely rest quarterback Josh Allen and the rest of their best guys with their playoff seed already set in stone. That obviously won’t be the case now.
During their playoff surge, the Colts have been adamant about focusing on the task at hand and not what teams around the league are doing. However, they will no doubt be scoreboard watching next weekend given that the aforementioned three teams all kickoff in the loaded 1:00 p.m. slate.
In an added bonus for Indy, they still have a chance to nab the AFC South crown thanks to the Titans getting routed by the Packers on Sunday night. If Tennessee loses to Houston — that’s obviously a tall ask — and Indy beats the Jags, the division is theirs.
Can Philip Rivers and the Colts squeeze their way into the postseason? @greggrosenthal digs into the AFC playoff picturehttps://t.co/3Sg2MXJeT9 pic.twitter.com/Ie4lSwoGsl
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) December 29, 2020
This means Indianapolis will have something to play for at kickoff even if the likes of Baltimore, Cleveland and Miami all win. To say that they are lucky to have such favorable odds after they choked in epic fashion against the Steelers would be an understatement, but here we are.
The NFL is obviously a crapshoot and nothing is ever guaranteed, but we definitely like the Colts’ chances to qualify for the playoffs for just the second time since 2014. Bottom line: fans in Indianapolis should be rooting hard for Buffalo this weekend, because we do not trust any of the other scenarios working to their benefit.
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