The Indianapolis Colts playoff chances are good. But even if they miss the postseason, this was a fun and exciting year for the team.<\/p>\n
Indianapolis wraps up the regular season with a Week 18 matchup with the Houston Texans<\/a>. A lot is on the line.\u00a0The Colts will grab a playoff spot if they win. If they win and the Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> lose, Indianapolis will come away with the AFC South title. With a loss, they will be eliminated from playoff contention.<\/p>\n The Colts playoff chances were strengthened with their New Year’s Eve win<\/a> over the Las Vegas Raiders. Will Indy make the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season or will they come up short?<\/p>\n Heading into last season, the Colts were supposed to win the division and possibly reach the AFC championship game. That sounded reasonable at the time. They had signed former MVP Matt Ryan to join forces with 2021 rushing leader Jonathan Taylor and talented receiver Michael Pittman Jr.<\/p>\n However, things didn\u2019t go so well. It was an epic fail as they finished with a 4-12-1 record.<\/p>\n Indianapolis later drafted<\/a> Anthony Richardson fourth overall in the 2023 draft. The former Florida QB looked impressive this year but went down with a season-ending<\/a> shoulder injury in Week 5.<\/p>\n Backup Gardner Minshew took over and has surprisingly helped lead the Colts to a 9-7 record. Before the season began, the Richardson-led Colts were predicted to get a couple more wins than the year before.<\/p>\n Yet, nobody envisioned nine victories or 10 if they win in Week 18. They especially didn’t envision that scenario with a backup like Minshew under center.<\/p>\n Playing against rookie phenom C.J. Stroud and the Texans should be a difficult contest.\u00a0 According to the New York Times<\/a>, the Colts’ playoff chances are at 52 percent. Yet, Minshew and Co. have what it takes to win and head to the postseason.<\/p>\n During the middle of last season, Indianapolis fired head coach Frank Reich and replaced him with former Colts center Jeff Saturday. The inexperienced Saturday went just 1-7 as the interim head coach.<\/p>\n Saturday wasn\u2019t retained in the offseason as the Colts hired Shane Steichen instead. Steichen had achieved success as an offensive coordinator, helping the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> reach the Super Bowl a year ago.<\/p>\n Steichen has emerged as a legitimate Coach of the Year candidate. He likely won\u2019t win the award, though.<\/p>\nIndianapolis Colts Overachieved Regardless of Week 18 Outcome<\/h2>\n
Nine or 10 Wins Certainly Weren\u2019t Expected<\/h3>\n
Shane Steichen is The Man<\/h3>\n