There are just three weeks left in the 2024 NFL season, which doesn’t leave much time for teams to make their playoff pushes.
Take the Colts: The AFC South title has been locked up by the Texans, so Indianapolis’ only hope to make the playoff field is as a wild-card team.
Seven teams will make the AFC playoffs, with the top four seeds reserved for the four division winners. Three wild-card teams will round out the field. With the Colts’ division locked down, Indianapolis is clinging to a very slim playoff odds, as the team could mathematically qualify for the No. 7 seed.
Here is a look at the Colts’ updated playoff picture heading into Week 16.
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Colts playoff picture
Indianapolis came out if its Week 14 bye week looking for a win to bolster its postseason chances. But the Colts lost, 31-13, to the Broncos.
Not only did the loss move Indy to 6-8 on the season, but it also gave Denver the head-to-head advantage in the playoff race. If the Colts and Broncos finish with the same record and just one playoff spot left, that spot would go to Denver.
Heading into Week 16, the Colts are on the outside of the AFC playoff field. Indianapolis sits in the No. 8 seed spot in the standings, but 2.5 games back of the Chargers and Broncos, who have nine wins.
| Position | Team | Record |
| 1. | Chiefs | 13-1 |
| 2. | Bills | 11-3 |
| 3. | Steelers | 10-5 |
| 4. | Texans | 9-5 |
| 5. | Ravens | 10-5 |
| 6. | Chargers | 9-6 |
| 7. | Broncos | 9-6 |
| 8. | Colts | 6-8 |
| 9. | Dolphins | 6-8 |
| 10. | Bengals | 6-8 |
Indianapolis holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dolphins. The Colts also currently have the tiebreaker over the Bengals due to a better winning percentage in conference games.
Even with three wins to end the season, the Colts still need help from the Chargers and Broncos to sneak into the final AFC playoff spot. Indianapolis needs to win out, while Denver or Los Angeles need to lose out and win tiebreaker battles against those teams.
If the Colts lose in Week 16 to the Titans, they will be eliminated from playoff contention.
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Colts remaining schedule
| Week | Opponent |
| 16 | vs. Titans |
| 17 | at Giants |
| 18 | vs. Jaguars |
The Colts arguably have the easiest final three games in the league. The Titans, Giants and Jaguars have a combined 8-34 record. But Indianapolis doesn’t control its own destiny.
Colts updated playoff chances
Heading into Week 16, ESPN’s Football Power Index has the Colts with just a 1.6% chance of making the playoffs. This metric not only takes into account projected results for Indianapolis’ games, but also the projected results for every team in the league. For reference, the Chargers stand at 98.0%, the Broncos at 85.8%, the Bengals at 10.9% and Dolphins at 3.7%.
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