It wasn’t long ago that the Indianapolis Colts were on a three-game losing streak and it seemed like the season was slipping away. However, the Colts have ripped off two straight wins, entering their bye week with a 5-5 record. With seven games remaining, Indy’s bye comes at a perfect time to get healthy and prepare for a playoff push.
Despite the bumpy start to the season, the postseason is still attainable for Indianapolis. The Colts still have a chance of winning the AFC South, currently sitting behind the 5-4 Houston Texans and the 6-3 Jacksonville Jaguars. However, Indy’s most likely path to the playoffs is through one of the three AFC wildcard spots.
AFC Playoff picture entering Week 11
The AFC is loaded, so the fight for those three spots will be fierce. If the playoffs started today, the Colts would be on the outside looking in. They’re currently on the bubble, sitting at No. 9. The Cincinnati Bengals are one spot ahead at No. 8 and the Houston Texans have the final playoff seed at No. 7.
Here are the current top seven AFC teams:
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Miami Dolphins
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Cleveland Browns
7. Houston Texans
The good news is Indianapolis gets to play the two teams directly in front of it. Indy plays the Bengals in Week 14 and will face off against the Texans in the Week 18 regular season finale. If all three teams keep winning, these games will be extremely important. The Colts will the chance to improve their record, hand losses to Cincinnati and Houston, and also pick up critical tiebreakers. All three things will go a long way in helping Indianapolis return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season. Indy also must win the majority of its other games for any of this to be relevant.