With the Colts on their bye week, which NFL games should you be watching?
With the Indianapolis Colts on their bye week, which Week 11 NFL matchups should we be keeping our eyes on?
At 8-2 on the season, the Colts entered Week 11 as the top seed in the AFC playoff race — although they have now been passed by New England, who, after a Thursday Night win, are now 9-2.
So naturally, the games that will have our attention are the ones that impact the playoff standings, along with the race for the AFC South title.
Here is where the Colts sit in each of those standings and which teams are closest to them.
AFC Playoff StandingsNew England Patriots (9-2)Indianapolis Colts (8-2)Denver Broncos (8-2)Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4)LA Chargers (7-3)Buffalo Bills (6-3)Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4)
Denver is tied with the Colts, while the Chargers are just one game back, and Buffalo is only one game back in the loss column. As for this week’s games, those are three teams where a loss could give Indianapolis some additional operating room and potentially benefit them down the road.
AFC South StandingsIndianapolis Colts (8-2)Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4)Houston Texans (4-5)Tennessee Titans (1-8)
In the AFC South, the Colts hold a 2.5-game lead over Jacksonville, while Houston is 3.5 back of Indianapolis. Even with wins from either of these teams, the Colts are positioned well, and they still play Jacksonville and Houston twice this season.
With the Chargers facing the Jaguars this week, Colts fans will have to decide between wanting their lead in the division extended with a Jacksonville loss or if they’d prefer LA to drop to four losses on the season.
Games to watch in Week 11 with the Colts on their byeLA Chargers at JaguarsKansas City at DenverHouston at TennesseeTampa Bay at Buffalo