Colts Continue Climb in NFL.com Week 13 Power Rankings

The Indianapolis Colts are one of the hottest teams in the NFL with a three-game winning streak. Only the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos can best that mark with five wins each.

NFL.com has taken notice of Shane Steichen's team. They gave the Colts a lift last week despite being on a bye, and this week, the Colts move up three spots and are knocking on the door of the top 10 at No. 13.

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"We gave you the premonitory playoff warning in last week's rankings, and that was when the Colts were in the AFC's No. 9 slot," wrote Eric Edholm on NFL.com. "Thanks to Sunday's solid victory over the Bucs and losses by Buffalo and Houston, the Colts have slid into the seventh and final playoff spot -- for now."

Edholm delves into a subject we broached last week: if the wins keep coming, some hardware could be coming Steichen's way.

"Why hasn't there been more Shane Steichen Coach of the Year buzz," asks Edholm. "Perhaps it's because his offense has been tepid at times, even considering the QB situation, and the Colts lost three straight games not long ago. But now they've quietly won three straight, with the Jonathan Taylor-Zack Moss duo punishing Tampa Bay for four quarters Sunday.

"Michael Pittman Jr. has been on a great clip since mid-October, too, and his free-agent price tag keeps going up with every big game he stacks ... But that's a conversation for another day. Right now, there's a playoff murmur in Indy."

There's more than a murmur in Indy. Sitting at the No. 7 spot, the Colts have winnable games coming up in Tennessee and against a wounded Cincinnati Bengals squad.

The Colts close their regular season on January 7th against the Houston Texans. That game could decide a playoff spot in the AFC.

It could also decide the coach of the year as Demeco Ryans has engineered a stunning turnaround in Houston as well.

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