Colts' Scenarios to Make the Playoffs Revealed

The Indianapolis Colts have a Week 17 date with the New York Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The narrative has been that Anthony Richardson, Shane Steichen, and Indianapolis are in 'must-win' mode to keep their playoff hopes alive; the reality is they aren't in complete control of their postseason fate.

The Colts must defeat the Giants to stay in the mix, but other factors play into Indy's chances. With a postseason berth in mind, let's look at what must happen outside of the Colts' control, and what Indianapolis must do to achieve the playoffs.

What the Colts Can't Control

Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert greet each other after a game. — Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) shake hands after the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Starting with the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs, they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day. This effectively put the Steelers in the fifth seed and removed the Buffalo Bills from contention for the top seed. Now, the Denver Broncos will face a Chiefs team in Week 18 playing for nearly nothing, and a sub-par Cincinnati Bengals squad before.

Also, as CBS Sports' John Breech points out that when he details Indianapolis' playoff circumstances, the Colts need plenty to happen in the next two weeks with the Miami Dolphins, Chargers, and Broncos. Below is what must play out for the Colts that isn't in their control.

Dolphins win out (at Browns, at Jets)

Broncos lose out (at Bengals, vs. Chiefs)

Chargers lose out (at Patriots, at Raiders)

However, before that game happens the Los Angeles Chargers will play against the lowly New England Patriots. If Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh's troops can take care of business, Indy's playoff hopes are dashed immediately.

As is laid out above, the Colts have plenty of circumstances they can't control that must fall in line for their playoff hopes to become true. But they have competition ahead in Week 17 (Giants) and Week 18 (Jacksonville Jaguars) where they can't afford to lose.

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What the Colts Can Control

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (all-white uniform) celebrates a score with a teammate. — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates after rushing for a touchdown Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's quite simple for Indianapolis: finish the 2024 campaign 9-8 on a three-game winning streak. While the likelihood that the Colts are eliminated before they take the field is unfortunately high (especially with the Chargers vs. Patriots), they can't think about that with the Giants staring them in the face.

There's always a shot at an upset, and the Colts can't allow the Giants or Jaguars to win as the clear and decisive favorites. If the Patriots and Bengals can achieve victory, it opens up plenty for the Colts and gives them a golden opportunity to dash their last two games against two teams with a disgusting combined record of 5-25.

Richardson looks better since getting benched for Joe Flacco and hopes to suit up on Sunday when the Colts fight for their playoff lives if things lay out as needed in prior contests. The Colts need a lot to happen to join the best teams of 2024 in a fight for the Lombardi trophy, but it can happen.

For now, the Colts need to focus on taking out Drew Lock and an abysmal Giants team playing for nothing more than a first-overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

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