Week 14
Indianapolis (7-5) at Jacksonville
The Colts have two problems heading into Week 14 tilt with Jacksonville. First, they are trying to snap their first losing streak of the season. Lastly, they have not won in Jacksonville since 2014. It’s a mind-numbing stat that, at some point, must broken. The Colts break the Week 1 curse, and this season, they finally get a win in Jacksonville. This Jaguar team is still correcting its issues of the past season and trying to find their footing. The Colts get win #8 in dominating fashion to break the losing streak.
Indianapolis 41, Jacksonville 17
Week 15
Indianapolis (8-5) at Seattle
The Colts head west for their third west coast trip of the season. For those keeping pace, they are 0-2 so far this season on the trip. Going out west is one of the more difficult asks for a football team but even worse in Seattle. It’s notoriously difficult to play in that stadium. Seattle has a new quarterback in Sam Darnold and new wide receiver in Cooper Kupp. Darnold outplays Anthony Richardson and the Seahawks get a needed win to stay alive in the playoff hunt.
Seattle 23, Indianapolis 16
Week 16
Indianapolis (8-6) vs San Francisco
The Colts' lone primetime match-up will be interesting to see, especially with regards to where the 49ers are in the standings by this time. It’s expected that both teams will be in the thick of their respective playoff races. The crowd will be raucous for this game, as it always is for primetime games. I think the Colts will play well, but this game comes down to coaching. Kyle Shanahan out-coaches Shane Steichen, and takes control in the second half. The newly-acquired pass rusher Bryce Huff wreaks havoc on this Colts offense, as San Francisco stays alive in the playoff hunt, and the Colts will need to win out to get into the playoffs.
San Francisco 31, Indianapolis 21
Week 17
Indianapolis (8-7) vs Jacksonville
Indianapolis and Jacksonville meet again for the second time in December. The Colts broke the losing streak in Jacksonville, and this time, the Colts get the sweep over Jacksonville. The Colts offensive line really shines, as the Colts exploit their advantage in the trenches. It’s a much closer game from last time, but the Colts are keeping their division hopes alive as they are now headed for a showdown with Houston on the road for the division title.
Indianapolis 34, Jacksonville 27
Week 18
Indianapolis (9-7) at Houston
The final week of the season has arrived, and the winner of this game wins the AFC South. The Colts have swept both the Titans and the Jaguars to keep pace with Houston. We saw this similar situation play out on the final play of the 2023 season. Gardner Minshew and Tyler Goodson could not connect a screen play that could have not sent them to the playoffs that year, but changed the franchise direction at that time. The shot at redemption and opportunity to keep this regime afloat finally kicks in.
The Colts have battled their demons all season, and this week is no different. With everything on the line for both the front office and coaching staff, we see the Colts finally get the win over Houston. This game is an all-out battle. The Colts get a game-winning drive from Anthony Richardson, and we see this team finally break through, and get that elusive division championship, and first playoff berth since 2020.
Indianapolis 31, Houston 28