Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts took longer than expected to put their playoff destiny into their own hands, but with their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the Colts are in the driver's seat.
Now, it's as simple as this: if Indy wins their last two games, they're in. If not, then things get a little weird.
Playoff Scenarios
The good news is that Indy only has one team to worry about now, as Houston's loss to Tennessee on Sunday put the final nail in their playoff coffin.
First, if both Indianapolis and Jacksonville win, or both lose Sunday, then it comes down to the final week, as both teams play a division game in Week 17.
If Indianapolis wins and Jacksonville loses then it's still not over, because both teams have the same record in the division at 3-2. So with an Indy win they would be 9-6, and with a loss, Jacksonville would be 8-7.
From there, Indy could lose against Tennessee in two weeks and Jacksonville could win, giving Jacksonville the division.
If the Colts were to lose this week and Jacksonville were to win, that would put the power into the hands of the Jaguars, who would have to lose for Indianapolis to have a chance at the playoffs this season.
Got it? Good.
What the previous five paragraphs are basically saying is the Colts should do themselves a favor and go ahead and win both games to keep all doubt out of their minds.
Indianapolis must travel west this week and play the semi-threatening Oakland Raiders (Oakland has beaten San Diego twice and Kansas City, otherwise they've beat NFC West teams and Denver), knowing fully what has happened across the country in Jacksonville, who play in the early game time slot.
Oakland is a team that plays to the weaknesses of the Colts and could possibly derail the Colts' season for what seems like the 18th time this season.
Oakland has a running game with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush that is the second best in the nation, gaining over 150 yards per game, second only to Kansas City's rushing attack.
As we have known since the first game of the season when Arian Foster exploded for 231 yards against the Colts defense that they have a problem against the run. They are 28th in the league at 135.8 yards per game given up on the ground.
Then there is that terribly shabby Colts run game, which averages 85 yards a game, the worst in the league, going up against a mediocre Raiders run defense, which will make them look great.
The key to the game will be the stiff secondary against Peyton Manning.
Oakland's defense doesn't take the ball away with great efficiency, but they hold their ground, have active hands and tip passes quite often and keep receivers from catching the ball.
Along with that they have a beastly front four who blow up offensive lines and pressure the quarterback (40 sacks 51 TFL).
If Oakland's defense can keep pressure on Peyton Manning while blanketing his receivers, Indianapolis could be in trouble, and we could be in for a tense Week 17 in the AFC South.
Teri Hatcher Lauren Bush Natalie Zea Brody Dalle Taryn Manning
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