The Indianapolis Colts will enter Week 17 with their playoff hopes still alive, but getting there will require quite a bit of help.
So, who should you be rooting for in other games this weekend?
The Kansas City Chiefs winning on Christmas day doesn’t directly impact the Colts’ playoff chances, but there could potentially be ramifications in Week 18 from them winning that game.
When it comes to this weekend’s games, however, beyond the Colts needing to beat the Giants, there are three other games you should have your eyes on.
The first is the Denver at Cincinnati. One playoff scenario for the Colts includes them winning out, the Broncos losing out, and either the Bengals or Dolphins winning their final two games.
This would then create a three-way tie at 9-8 with the Colts winning the tie-breaker with the better overall AFC record. So in addition to rooting for the Bengals, Colts’ fans should also root for the Dolphins to beat the Browns.
While the Colts need only one of the Bengals or Dolphins to win their final two games, having both win this week gives Indianapolis an additional buffer in Week 18 if one were to lose that week.
The other game that Colts’ fans should be keeping an eye on is the Chargers vs. New England. A second scenario that would get the Colts to the playoffs is if Indianapolis wins out and the Chargers lose their final two games.
So to put a bow on all of this, the Bengals, Dolphins, and Patriots are three other teams that the Colts will want to see get wins this week.