If the Indianapolis Colts miss out on the division or the number one seed in the playoffs by one game, fans won't hesitate to point to this past weekend's collapse to Kansas City as the reason why. The Colts led by 11 points entering the fourth quarter, and after recovering a Kareem Hunt fumble, it felt like the Colts were destined to win the ball game.
As we know, that didn't happen. The Chiefs' defense pinned its ears back and made Daniel Jones look like the Daniel Jones of old, while the Colts' defense was gassed due to the Chiefs running the ball more than they had all season. That culminated in the Chiefs tying the game and then going on to win it in overtime.
Had the Colts held on, they'd have moved to 9-2 and would have still been very much in the conversation to earn the number one overall seed in the AFC playoffs. They'd also have remained firmly in the driver's seat when it comes to winning the AFC South, something that now becomes a little tighter due to the Jaguars and Texans also winning their games this week.
The time to be concerned about the Indianapolis Colts is now
Furthermore, and this one is big, had the Colts won this game, the Chiefs would have been 5-6, and their playoff hopes would have been on life support. While teams like the Broncos and Patriots were probably pulling for the Chiefs to win simply so their chances at the one-seed increased, the rest of the AFC was likely fuming at the Colts for letting Kansas City get back into the game.
As we've all witnessed with the Chiefs over the last eight years or so, if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile. Just when it looked like the Chiefs would be buried this year and wouldn't make the postseason for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, they managed to crawl out of the hole they were buried in and find a way to win, and in doing so, kept their playoff hopes alive.
If the Chiefs get into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, everyone will likely be pointing to this game against Indy. The Colts had a chance to pour dirt on them this year and drop them to under .500, but they did what so many teams have done against Kansas City in recent years, which is crumble when the lights got bright.
No one wants to see Kansas City get into the playoffs because, well, quite frankly, the Chiefs have proven they know how to win in those games. With the AFC being as uncertain as it is this year, if the Chiefs get in, they can absolutely make a run, and the Colts allowed that to continue to be a reality for everyone.
This loss could have major ramifications as far as playoff seeding is concerned, and if the Chiefs end up in the postseason, there will be a lot of fingers pointing squarely at Indianapolis, and deservedly so.
Let's hope the Chiefs trip up and miss the playoffs so the Colts don't have to deal with being the ones who potentially let them get into the postseason as a scrappy underdog that goes on to win another Super Bowl.