The Colts play the vaunted — but struggling Kansas City Chiefs — on Sunday in one of the NFL’s premier games of the week … and it really won’t mean much to the Colts’ playoff chances.
The New York Times’ NFL Playoff Simulator gives the Colts a 94% chance to make the playoffs and a 78% chance to win the division. That’s not a surprise when a team is two games up on the second-place team (Jacksonville)in the division and has a three-game lead on the eighth-place teams in the conference (Houston, Kansas City and Baltimore are 5-5).
What’s a little surprising is how little impact losing to Kansas City would seem to have on the bigger prizes. The Colts currently have a 20% chance to get the 1 seed and a 58% chance to host a playoff game.
>> If the Colts win, they have a 32% chance at the 1 seed and a 53% chance to host a playoff game
>> If the Colts lose, it’s a 12% chance at the 1 seed and a 61% shot at hosting a playoff game
Obviously, winning is better but even losing means the Colts have a 73% chance of, at worst, hosting a playoff game.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts playoff chances and playoff picture ahead of Chiefs game
