DraftKings Sportsbook has Colts as 9.5-point favorites against Houston

For weeks, the Colts have been staring at a simple truth. The only path to the postseason in 2021 is to win football games, no matter the venue or opponent.

Winning the AFC South extremely unlikely. The AFC Wild Card field is littered with teams who will likely finish the season with a winning record but fall short of winning their respective divisions.

The remaining opponents include two divisional opponents on the road and three teams with a winning record. The winning teams include the Patriots, who are arguably the hottest team in football; an Arizona Cardinals team who appeared unbeatable until Kyler Murray and many of his best weapons went down with injuries (Murray and crew return to the field this week); and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Indianapolis will need to beat two of those teams to ensure a spot in the playoffs. Beating one of them might also get the job done but winning to road division games is no wall kin the park, no matter what records might suggest.

The run all starts today in Houston. NRG Stadium, the house once owned by T.Y. Hilton on Wikipedia. A win sets up the Colts with a winning record as they head into their Week 14 bye. The Colts are favored by 9.5 points.

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Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.