The Indianapolis Colts are currently the only team in the NFL to have locked up their division title. However, as J.M. Nicholas of Fansided blog Naptown's Finest writes, don't let that fool you:
This team has proven itself to be as messy as it is majestic. Indianapolis has beaten some of the best teams in the NFL this season, but have also proven to be inept in certain losses. This team can be equally dominating and dominated, depending on the situation. Only time will tell which team we will see in the postseason.
The AFC South is a joke in terms of overall competitiveness. The Texans (2-12) and Jaguars (4-10) stink, and the Titans (5-9) had to play six games this year with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their quarterback because their injury prone 2011 first round pick, Jake Locker, landed on IR for the second year in a row.
However, it is because the Colts play in this turd division that they are, amazingly, still in the running for the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs, which comes with a first round bye.
There are a couple of ways this can happen, but the way I want to focus on here is also detailed by Derek Schultz. Here's how it goes:
- The Colts must beat the Chiefs and Jaguars to close out the regular season. Any lose to either team, and the Colts are likely the No. 4 seed.
- The Ravens must defeat the Patriots and the Bengals to close out their regular season.
With the way the Ravens are playing right now, they could very well sweep their last two regular season games. Repeat after me: "Go Ravens!"
This scenario is pretty stupid-crazy considering how bad the Colts have played since their Week 8 bye. There's no way a team that gets blown out in three of their last six games should have any shot at a first round bye. But, in an AFC playoff field devoid of truly good teams, that's the opportunity presented to the Colts.
Step one is beating the Chiefs in KC. No easy task, but if the Colts are truly a championship-caliber team, as head coach Chuck Pagano keeps trying to sell to the media, then they should beat the Chiefs.
Emphasis on should.