INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts’ playoff drought has reached five years after the Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 at SoFi Stadium on Saturday.
The Colts needed a Texans loss combined with a victory Sunday against Jacksonville at Lucas Oil Stadium and at Houston to secure their first playoff berth since 2020. Instead, Houston’s win eliminated Indianapolis from contention before they even took the field.
After a promising 7-1 start that had the Colts holding the NFL’s best record, Indianapolis has suffered a historic collapse, losing five straight games and six of their last seven.
Injuries played a significant role in the collapse, including a season-ending Achilles injury to quarterback Daniel Jones in Week 14.
The team signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement to fill the void, and despite solid performances from the veteran, Indianapolis couldn’t stop the slide.