The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) control their own playoff destiny as they enter Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons (6-8) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 16.
Having won five of their last six games, the Colts are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They take on a Falcons squad that has lost five of their last seven and are turning back to Taylor Heinicke as the starting quarterback after Desmond Ridder was benched for the second time this season.
While the focus for the Colts will be solely on winning their game, we can take a look at how Indy can get some help in the playoff race through the other games on the Week 16 slate.
Here’s the rooting guide in Week 16 as the Colts make their final playoff push:
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Root: Steelers
The Colts are ahead of the Steelers in the playoff race and own the head-to-head thanks to their Week 15 win. Conversely, the Bengals own the head-to-head over the Colts because of Indy’s Week 14 loss to Cincinnati.
Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Chargers
Root: Chargers
The Chargers are out of the playoff picture, but the Bills are right in the thick of the AFC wild-card race. An upset is unlikely, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t root for it.
Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons
Root: Colts
Obviously.
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
Root: Browns
The Browns have the top wild-card spot and the head-to-head over the Colts from their Week 7 win at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts are currently tied with Houston and the Jacksonville Jaguars for the top spot in the division, Indy owns the head-to-head over the Texans with a Week 18 matchup still coming so any help against a division-mate is welcome.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Root: Buccaneers
A Colts win and a Jaguars loss puts Indy in the driver’s seat for the AFC South. This is especially vital considering the Jaguars swept the Colts during the regular season so Indy needs to finish with a better record if they want the division.
Dallas Cowboys at Miami Dolphins
Root: Cowboys
This game doesn’t have a major impact for the Colts, but it’s always wise to root for the NFC when they face an AFC opponent. The Dolphins are close to clinching a playoff berth and the division so we’ll root for Dallas here.
Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
Root: Chiefs
This one is tough because the Chiefs are one game ahead of the Colts in terms of record, but they are likely the division winners so it won’t impact the wild-card race. The Colts play the Raiders in Week 17 so any chance to clear the wild-card picture is worth it. That means rooting for the Chiefs. But this game has little impact on the Colts right now.
Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans
Root: Seahawks
The impact of a Titans win means little for the Colts’ playoff chances outside of slightly increasing the strength of schedule numbers. So we’ll root against a division-mate here.
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Root: Patriots
Denver is a game behind the Colts in terms of the wild-card race so as painful as it is, we’re rooting for a Patriots win.
