Indianapolis Colts playoff rooting guide for Week 14

The Indianapolis Colts head into their bye week in good spirits, as they trounced the Houston Texans to the tune of a 31-0 shutout last Sunday.

It was exactly the performance Frank Reich’s group needed following their heartbreaking loss to Tampa Bay the week prior. After all, the win helped the Colts jump up to the No. 8 seed in the jumbled AFC playoff picture.

The only thing separating them from a Wild Card berth? The fact that the Bills, holders of the No. 7 seed, have just one fewer loss.

The good news for Colts fans is that they can kick their feet up and relax this weekend. Well, sort of. While not having to suffer through potential late-game drama is a win, other teams in the playoff race will be in action.

With that in mind, let’s run through a Week 14 rooting guide for Colts Nation.

Colts playoff rooting guide for Week 14

Here’s a quick look at the AFC standings after Thursday night:

1. Patriots 9-4
2. Titans 8-4
3. Ravens 8-4
4. Chiefs 8-4
5. Chargers 7-5
6. Bengals 7-5
7. Bills 7-5
8. Colts 7-6
9. Raiders 6-6
10. Steelers 6-6-1
11. Browns 6-6
12. Broncos 6-6
13. Dolphins 6-7

As you can see, there isn’t much separating the Colts from the No. 5 seed. However, a quick losing streak could see them drop as low as No. 12.

Jaguars at Titans

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. With the AFC South title suddenly within reach again, the Colts are clearly rooting against the Titans, who, unfortunately, lock horns with the hapless Jaguars on Sunday.

Probably not gonna get much help there, but one can dream.

Ravens at Browns

This game has huge playoff implications by itself, and Indy diehards should be rooting for the Ravens to come out on top. Another loss for the reeling Browns would seemingly end their playoff hopes and we’re all for eliminating — emotionally, in this case — another squad from contention.

Raiders at Kansas City

Same goes for this game. Hope that the Chiefs take care of business and send the Raiders to 6-7 with four games left on the docket.

Lions at Broncos

No explanation needed here. Winning on the road in Denver is a tall ask for the one-win Lions, but they should be able to keep this close if they avoid turnovers thanks to the Broncos’ lackluster quarterback situation.

In the slim chance you own a Lions jersey, rock it with pride on Sunday.

Giants at Chargers

Can the fighting Joe Judges pull off the upset at SoFi Stadium? Probably not, but that’s why you play the game, right? The Giants are a mess right now, but the Chargers could be down star wideouts Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, both of whom landed on the COVID list earlier in the week.

It’s no doubt wishful thinking, but a Chargers loss would bring them level on record with the Colts. Why’s that a good thing? Indy owns the tiebreaker, given they have the better conference record (6-3) than Los Angeles (5-3).

49ers at Bengals

Same goes for this cross-conference affair. The Colts have a better conference record than the Bengals, so a 49ers win would give Indianapolis the slimmest of margins in the standings.

Bills at Buccaneers

Rooting for the Bucs? Two weeks after they handed the Colts a gutting loss at Lucas Oil Stadium? You bet. Indy owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Buffalo, so they are quite literally nipping at their heels.

A Bills loss would put the Colts squarely in the playoff picture, so this game should have the most appeal amongst Indy fans.

That should just about do it. By late Sunday night, Colts fans should have a good idea where the team sits in the playoff standings.

If you need a silver lining in case these games don’t go in Indy’s favor, just know nobody lagging behind can leapfrog them. The worst possible outcome is the Colts still hold the No. 8 seed after the Sunday slate.

Not bad, right?

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