ESPN Playoff Predictor is Good News for Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are one of the hottest teams in the NFL having won five of their last six games. Last week's win against the Pittsburgh Steelers was particularly impressive.
The Steelers were desperate coming off two-embarrassing losses and jumped out to a 13-0 start. The Colts lost playmakers Michael Pittman and Zack Moss to injury but still posted 30-unanswered points for an impressive 30-13 win.
This week, the Colts take on another struggling opponent. The Atlanta Falcons went from their perch atop the NFC South to dropping division games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the lowly Carolina Panthers.
ESPN's analytics department simulated the final-three weeks of the regular season, including this week's game in Atlanta, and the Indianapolis Colts came up Yahtzee... 3-0.
Week 16: Indianapolis Colts 17, Atlanta Falcons 16
Week 17: Las Vegas Raiders 20, Indianapolis Colts 34
Week 18: Houston Texans 24, Indianapolis Colts 34
Week 18's matchup against the Houston Texans could be a play-in game for the AFC Playoffs. It could also be the deciding game for NFL Coach of the Year. Demeco Ryans of the Texans and Shane Steichen of the Colts are two of the leading candidates.
"With the Browns and Dolphins locked into two wild-card spots, there was one playoff spot remaining," wrote Seth Walder on ESPN. "The Bengals and Broncos had taken themselves out of the race by Week 18, while the Colts and Texans squared off to see who could get to 11 wins and grab the playoff berth. In this simulation, Gardner Minshew and the Colts beat out C.J. Stroud and Houston, winning 34-24 and earning Indianapolis the No. 6 seed.
"Indianapolis actually tied Jacksonville with 11 wins, but the Jaguars -- who beat the Colts twice this season -- won the AFC South via tiebreaker."
In this scenario, the Colts get a chance to even the score against the No. 3 Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs.
The Indianapolis Colts were 3-5 after their October 29th loss to the New Orleans Saints. An 8-1 run and a sweep of the Texans will be enough to get them into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NFL.
It should also be enough to get Steichen some hardware at the end of the season regardless how the playoffs shake out.
