The Indianapolis Colts have had a topsy-turvy season, and it’s started under center. Anthony Richardson has struggled for the majority of this season and, entering November, it looked as if Joe Flacco was going to be the man tasked with getting a .500 team into the playoffs.
They pivoted back to Richardson in Week 11. While the results have been spotty, they have a winning record since his return, and the offense has shown signs of the potential we penciled them in for this preseason. However, they went back to Flacco in Week 17 due to a Richardson injury.
But it was the Colts’ defense that let the team down on Sunday in the swamps of Jersey, surrendering over 300 yards through the air to Drew Lock in a 45-33 loss that has officially eliminated the Colts from playoff contention.
What Is the Indianapolis Colts’ Current Playoff Picture?
The Houston Texans are AFC South champions, but as the second-place team, the Colts still had a pulse for the last Wild Card spot entering Sunday.
Entering the weekend, Indy (7-8) was the eighth-best team in the AFC. That standing is a bit deceiving, as they were tied with the Dolphins in terms of overall record, looking up at the 9-6 Broncos and 8-8 Bengals.
The Colts needed a win to stay alive heading into the final week of the NFL regular season. But it was not to be.
The Colts entered as a 7.5-point road favorite against the New York Giants (over the past decade, teams favored by at least 7.5 points win 81.1% of the time). But defensive breakdowns and a special teams gaffe ultimately put the Colts’ 2024 season to bed, dropping the game to the Giants and eliminating the Colts from the AFC playoff picture.
To simulate all the different scenarios, head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to see how they change the playoff picture and the NFL postseason bracket.