After starting the season at 7-1 and being considered the best team in the NFL, the Colts are in a position where they might not even make the playoffs.

On the heels of a four-game losing streak, the Colts are determined to stay alive in the hunt for the postseason. The path to get there, though, will not be easy. It goes without saying that adversity has struck the Colts at the worst possible time. With three games left to go, “Comeback Player of the Year” candidate Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending Achilles injury. On top of that, Pro Bowl cornerback Sauce Gardner has been dealing with an injury since Week 13, and Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner has been dealing with an injury since Week 9. Needless to say, the Colts are riddled with injuries to key players. This late in the season, teams can rarely afford to sustain this kind of adversity and hope to survive. The Colts, however, are looking to do just that, and do it in the most miraculous way.

The Path to the Playoffs

To get into the playoffs, the Colts will need to win out and hope that the Houston Texans or the Los Angeles Chargers lose two of the next three. The good news is that the Texans and Chargers play each other in Week 17, so one loss will come from one of them. The issue will be the second loss.

The Texans play the Colts in Week 18, which is a game that must be won by the Colts. The Texans also play the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday in a contest that should be easily won by Houston, as Vegas has struggled and is currently on an eight-game losing streak. The Chargers, on the other hand, play the Dallas Cowboys, who are in a must-win situation this week. In Week 18, they face the Denver Broncos in a game that could decide the number one seed for the Broncos. Thus making it a very meaningful game for Denver.

Overall, the Colts’ best path to the playoffs will probably come via the Chargers. Although they currently have 10 wins, they are not completely healthy. Justin Herbert is still dealing with a hand injury, and the offense has struggled at best the last two weeks, only averaging 19 points per game. Herbert is averaging 174 yards passing and has two touchdowns and two interceptions over this span. While it might be reassuring that the Chargers can probably lose two out of their next three. All of this will be for nought if the Colts cannot win out. While their path won’t be easy, they have the tools to get it done.

The Acquisition of 44-Year-Old Philip Rivers

As crazy as it sounds, acquiring Philip Rivers could end up being the best decision the Colts have made in a while. The franchise has been in constant turmoil since Rivers’ departure in 2020, and this season is a full-circle moment. Could the oldest player in the league lead the Colts to the playoffs? That remains to be seen, but one thing is clear – Rivers showed the franchise that he still has it. He might not be able to throw it 40 yards down the field, but he has the football IQ to stifle a defense and make big plays on offense.

The way the Colts’ offense looked on Sunday brought back memories of Peyton Manning in his final season with the Broncos in 2015. In that season, Manning started to show his age. He struggled to push the ball down the field and had to rely on his running game, football IQ, and defense. However, it was this combination that brought the Broncos a Super Bowl. This is not to say that the Colts will do the same, but this does shed light on the fact that playing quarterback is not all about physical skill. Oftentimes, it comes down to making the right read, audibling into a different play, or using a hard count. Rivers has every ability to still do that. However, for the offense to have success, he will need the running game to come alive and the defense to step up bigger than ever before.

Getting Healthy on Defense

The crucial element for the Colts to make the playoffs will come down to their defense. With the offense completely different now with Philip Rivers, the defense can no longer rely on 30 points per game. They will have to hold opposing offenses to well under 20 points and create turnovers to give their offense short fields or stifle opposing offenses’ scoring opportunities.

The defense showed glimpses of this last Sunday against the formidable Seattle Seahawks’ offense. Until last Sunday, Seattle was putting up close to 30 points per game, and the Colts held them to 18 without giving up a touchdown. This will have to be the recipe moving forward. The defense needs to play at an all-time high and carry this team into the postseason.

The good news for the Colts is that DeForest Buckner is eligible to return from injured reserve and practiced leading up to Week 15. The word is still out on whether he will play this weekend. However, if he can suit up, that will be huge for the defense. Another injured player is top cornerback Sauce Gardner, who has been out for two weeks due to a calf injury. The Colts elected not to put him on injured reserve, which leads many to believe that he can return sooner rather than later. Returning this week would be a miracle, but the hope is that he will be back before the regular season ends.