Colts' Updated Playoff Picture After Pitiful Loss vs. Texans

The Jaguars are riding a three-game winning streak that includes victories over the Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans. Those are three teams the Colts have already beat, so it's no surprise the Jags were able to do the same.

The Texans have now won four in a row, and they're looking dangerous. The Colts will end their regular season in Houston at NRG Stadium, and that game may end up determining the division winner.

Jacksonville hosts the Colts next Sunday, and that game will practically be a must-win if the Colts want to win the division and secure at least one game of home-field advantage. The Colts haven't played a home playoff game since January 2015.

AFC Wild Card Standings

1. Indianapolis Colts (8-4)
2. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4)
3. Buffalo Bills (7-4)
4. Houston Texans (7-5)
5. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
6. Baltimore Ravens (6-6)

Although the loss is a tough one to swallow, the Colts sit atop the AFC wild-card standings. The Chargers and Bills are still in action, so the results of those games could have an effect on the standings.

The Colts have a 6-3 conference record, which is one of the major tiebreakers that could determine playoff seeding. The Chargers are 6-2 in the conference, but the Colts have a head-to-head tiebreaker over them. The Bills are 4-3 in the conference, and the Colts will not play them.

The Texans are scary, as they have a 6-2 conference record with five games left on the schedule, including one against the 2-9 Las Vegas Raiders.

The loss certainly had an impact on the Colts' playoff picture, but Indy still controls its own destiny. If they can win all three divisional games left on their schedule, they'll be clear favorites to take home the division title.

Sandwiched between their three remaining divisional games are matchups against the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. If the Colts want to really make a push for the number one seed, they'll have to win at least one of those games against NFC West foes.

The best-case scenario for Indianapolis is that they finish 13-4. The worst is 8-9. One would imagine that, after the start the Colts had, 8-9 is an impossible record to obtain. But in the NFL, it's any given Sunday, specifically for 17 Sundays.