At 7-1, the Indianapolis Colts were in firm control, not only of the AFC South but of the entire AFC. A tie breaker win over the Denver Broncos provided that much more room to breathe. Things were smooth sailing until they weren’t. With four straight losses and five out of six dropped, the Colts no longer control anything, let alone their own destiny. Yes, they have to take care of their own business, but they are now reliant on the rest of the NFL to drop a few and open the door. Unfortunately,
the teams the Colts are chasing have no intention of letting them back into contention.
The last two weeks have been brutal. The Colts lost their quarterback and then lost a heartbreaker in Seattle. That game would have helped them keep much needed pace in the AFC race. Not only did they lose the game but they lost ground to everyone. The story of Monday night’s game isn’t written yet but so far, things have been rough. The Bills went to New England and beat the conference leader in week fifteen and followed that up by barely escaping the Browns on the road. The Chargers did more of the same. Although they didn’t have to face Patrick Mahomes on the game winning drive, they found a way to squeak out a huge road win in Arrowhead. While not as potentially daunting, the Cowboys provided little resistance as well. Both of these Wild Card teams won two straight road games while the Colts sought to make up ground or at least not lose any.
The AFC South was still up for grabs as well, but that seems to have completely slipped away as the Jaguars might be the hottest team in the AFC. They dismantled the Jets and then went into Denver and beat the number one seed 34-20. Houston took full advantage of two home games against inferior opponents by beating the Cardinals and Raiders. As soon as the Colts starting slipping, the teams right in front of them found their footing. It has been a disastrous freefall and the rest of the NFL is making it worse. That is exactly what the Colts should have done when they had the chance. Make it too difficult for other teams to catch up. Instead, they are the ones in catch up mode, but the clock is running out.
The Colts have no one to blame but themselves. It all started in Pittsburgh with five turnovers. From there, the offense became flat. A fourth quarter meltdown in Kansas City followed by two divisional losses is way too much to work back from. The rest of the league saw a wounded gazelle and pounced. The Colts will limp into a Monday night contest against an NFC team playing for the number one seed. After an incredible start, this could be the game that puts this season to bed.
