Indianapolis Colts prepare for Houston Texans in Week 13

Do the Indianapolis Colts have the bona fides to be a true AFC contender? Their Week 12 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs is raising questions.

The Colts (8-3) still lead the AFC South, but the Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4) and Houston Texans (6-5) are lurking — and the Colts play them both twice each in the closing six weeks of the season.

NFL power rankings: Colts

“They blew a fourth-quarter lead at Kansas City, which is not a good look. The schedule gets tougher down the stretch too, as their division lead has shrunk to one game.”

“Shane Steichen’s squad still controls its own fate, but the team has come up small during two of its last three games. Indianapolis’ vaunted offense was slowed by the Pittsburgh Steelers and then the Chiefs.”

“A slide could be coming, based on the upcoming schedule.”

“There’s nothing wrong with losing at Kansas City in overtime. Still, if the Colts want to be taken seriously as contenders, they need to close out a 20-9 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. The Jaguars are now just a game behind Indianapolis in the AFC South.”

“The Colts’ defense deserves plenty of credit for keeping them in the game in Kansas City but their offense can have major limitation if an opponent can render Jonathan Taylor a non-factor in the running game. Indy now needs to focus on locking up the division with the Texans and Jaguars next.”

“Daniel Jones is not the only reason they lost to the Chiefs on Sunday (Kansas City limited Indy’s talented running game), but this is the fear with the Colts. If their running game has even a so-so game, can Jones carry the offense?”

“Too big of a knock-down for the Colts? Perhaps. But the Power Rankings are self-adjusting and attempting to protect themselves against further letdowns. In this case, that means the rest of Indianapolis’s schedule, which only increases in difficulty.”

“Nothing lasts long in this NFL, though. Recently the Colts have regressed with ball security, efficiency in the red zone and converting on third downs. This current stretch of two losses and an overtime win over the Falcons doesn’t negate the Colts’ surprising start to the year, but it makes the playoff race in the AFC even tighter as we approach the home stretch.”

NFL playoff picture

AFC through Week 12

SeedTeamRecord1.Patriots10-22.Broncos9-23.Colts8-34.Ravens6-55.Chargers7-46.Jaguars7-47.Bills7-4

NFC through Week 12

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Who has a bye in Week 13?

No teams have an NFL Week 13 bye.

Week 1: Indianapolis Colts 33, Miami Dolphins 8, box score, statsWeek 2: Colts 29, Denver Broncos 28, box score, statsWeek 3: Colts 41, Tennessee Titans 20, box score, statsWeek 4: Los Angeles Rams 27, Colts 20, box score, statsWeek 5: Colts 40, Las Vegas Raiders 6, box score, statsWeek 6: Colts 31, Arizona Cardinals 27, box score, statsWeek 7: Colts 38, Los Angeles Chargers 24, box score, statsWeek 8: Colts 38, Tennessee Titans 14 box score, statsWeek 9: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Colts 20 box score, statsWeek 10: Colts 31, Atlanta Falcons 25, OT, box score, statsWeek 11: ByeWeek 12: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Colts 20, OT, box score, statsWeek 13: Sunday, Nov. 30, vs. Houston Texans, 1 p.m., CBSWeek 14: Sunday, Dec. 7, at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., CBSWeek 15: Sunday, Dec. 14, at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m., CBSWeek 16: Monday, Dec. 22, vs. San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN‘s “Monday Night Football”Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 28, vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., FoxWeek 18: Date TBD, at Houston Texans, time TBD, TBD

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

Indianapolis Colts prepare for Houston Texans in Week 13

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