Source: Lauren Leigh Bacho / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts are entering the month of December with the final AFC playoff spot.
At 6-5, the Colts have the 7th and final Wild Card spot with 6 weeks remaining this season. If the playoffs started today, the Colts would travel to Kansas City to take on the No. 2 seed Chiefs.
Per the New York Times playoff predictor, the Colts currently have a 43 percent chance at making the playoffs. That number could fluctuate by about 26 percent depending on the win/loss result versus the Titans this Sunday (54% if Colts win, 28% if Colts lose).
A couple of things to note on the Colts’ current situation:
- With the Jaguars at 8-3, we are penciling them in as the AFC South champs, especially with the Colts having lost the head-to-head tiebreaker by being swept by them this season.
- One of the biggest things in the Colts favor down the stretch (along with a favorable quarterback schedule) is the fact they are 4-3 in the AFC. The conference tiebreaker is the first Wild Card tiebreaker between teams who didn’t play against each other this year and aren’t in the same division. The Colts are well-positioned with this tiebreaker, particularly when you compare them to the teams outside the current playoff picture.
- If you look at the current standings, the Colts will have games remaining against teams slotted No. 5 (Steelers), No. 8 (Texans), No. 11 (Bengals) and No. 12 (Raiders). If the Colts can get 3 of these wins, that should secure them of a playoff spot. Even 2 wins would greatly aid their hopes, especially if one of those wins is in the season finale over the Texans.
Here’s a look at the AFC standings with 6 weeks remaining:
Division Leaders (conference record, New York Times playoff odds)
1. Ravens (9-3, 5-3, 98%): Bye, Rams, at Jaguars, at 49ers, Dolphins, Steelers
2. Chiefs (8-3, 6-1, 99%): at Packers, Bills, at Patriots, Raiders, Bengals, at Chargers
3. Jaguars (8-3, 6-2, 99%): Bengals, at Browns, Ravens, at Buccaneers, Panthers, at Titans
4. Dolphins (8-3, 6-2, 99%): at Commanders, Titans, Jets, Cowboys, at Ravens, Bills
Wild Card Teams
5. Steelers (7-4, 5-3, 78%): Cardinals, Patriots, at Colts, Bengals, at Seahawks, at Ravens
6. Browns (7-4, 5-3, 66%): at Chargers, Jaguars, Bears, at Texans, Jets, at Bengals
7. Colts (6-5, 4-3, 43%): at Titans, at Bengals, Steelers, at Falcons, Raiders, Texans
Outside Looking In
8. Texans (6-5, 3-3, 58%): Broncos, at Jets, at Titans, Browns, Titans, at Colts
9. Broncos (6-5, 3-4, 34%): at Texans, at Chargers, at Lions, Patriots, Chargers, at Raiders
10. Bills (6-6, 3-5, 15%): Bye, at Chiefs, Cowboys, at Chargers, Patriots, at Dolphins
11. Bengals (5-6, 1-6, 3%): at Jaguars, Colts, Vikings, at Steelers, at Chiefs, Browns
12. Raiders (5-7, 3-5, 1%): Bye, Vikings, Chargers, at Chiefs, at Colts, Broncos
