The Colts will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year after starting the season 7-1. Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Images
The Indianapolis Colts have been eliminated from playoff contention following the Houston Texans’ 20-16 win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.
After an electric 8-2 start, things unraveled quickly in Indianapolis. The Colts have lost five straight, and entered Week 17 with their playoff chances essentially out of their control. Indianapolis (8-7) plays the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) on Sunday, but a win will no longer be enough to keep them in the postseason picture.
The Colts lost quarterback Daniel Jones to a torn Achilles tendon in Week 14. In one of the biggest in-season roster moves of the year, Indianapolis signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers to replace him. Even five years removed from his last NFL snap, Rivers put on vintage performances in his first two starts, but Indy’s defense fell apart. The Colts lost to the Seahawks (18-16) and 49ers (48-27) in Rivers’ first two games back.
Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only five teams have won seven of their first eight games and missed the playoffs. The Colts’ playoff odds were as high as 98 percent in Week 10, according to The Athletic’s NFL playoff simulator, and in contention for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Now, the Colts are left on the outside looking in for the fifth straight season.
Indy had some hope for last-minute momentum with cornerback Sauce Gardner returning on Sunday from a left calf injury. The Colts acquired Gardner in a blockbuster trade with the New York Jets, but he has been sidelined since exiting the Week 13 game against the Texans early. League sources told The Athletic prior to the weekend that Gardner is expected to play regardless of the playoff picture.
After hosting the Jags on Sunday, the Colts end the season on the road against the Texans.