The next two games will determine the entire season for the Colts

The Colts are currently 2-2-1 and are a game back in their division. Over the next two weeks, they will be playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans, two divisional opponents. The Colts stand at 0-2-1 in their division and two losses to get them to 0-4-1 would essentially be a death blow.

Since 2002 when the NFL went from having 3 divisions per conference to 4, there has only been one team that won their division with 2 wins within their division and that was the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010. In terms of making the playoffs, there have been 7 teams since 2002 to make the playoffs with a divisional record of 2-4. There has not been a team to win their division or make the playoffs with one or zero wins in their divisions.

So what does that mean for the Colts? It means they need to win these next two weeks against their divisional rivals. Otherwise, it will be extremely unlikely that they make the playoffs since the best their division record could be is 1-4-1. At the very worst, they need to split the games just to stay alive.

The Titans currently sit at 1-0 and Jaguars at 1-1 in terms of their division records. Losses to them would put the Colts at a disadvantage not only in overall records but in divisional records, making the prospect of Indy passing them that much more difficult. If the Colts can win both games, then they are right back in the thick of things with the potential of a 3-win division record.

The Colts play their final division game in Week 17 against the Houston Texans who were the last team in football to get their first win. They tied the Texans in Week 1.

The Colts have not looked very impressive over the course of the season. While their defense has risen to the occasion with big performances against the Chiefs and Broncos, the offense has failed to do much, averaging just 13.8 points per game. In order to beat the Jaguars and Titans, they’ll need to have good offensive outputs.

History shows us that you can’t make the playoffs if you have 1 division win, let alone win the division itself, so it’s not hyperbole to say that the Colts’ entire season comes down to these next two weeks.