Still Hurt: Bob Sanders (knee), Jeff Saturday (calf), Tyjuan Hagler (knee)

New Additions: Gary Brackett (fibula, out until playoffs), Keyunta Dawson (hamstring)

Rested: Antoine Bethea, TIm Jennings, Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne

link

Ignoring divisions the Colts are currently 3rd in the AFC and only a half game away from 2nd and a first round bye. Back in the real world with divisions the Colts are 5th in the AFC with no chance get a bye or host a first round playoff game (and next to zero chance of hosting any playoff game). The current #6 seed? 4th in the AFC. Both the Colts and Ravens have the same record and have more more AFC games than the Jets, but the Jets are favorites to host their first playoff game.

Taking away the guaranteed playoff spot for division winners either totally or conditionally (have to win x number of games) eliminates the point of divisions. Why even have them at all if the best team doesn't go to the playoffs. Divisions and the automatic playoff spot for the winner should be kept. Divisions build and sustain rivalries. Divisions have been a longstanding part of the NFL (and every major team sport). Getting rid of divisions it's the best way to solve this problem (though getting rid of them would allow each team to play it's entire conference and an extra inter-conference game).

The problem is the NFL rule that the top 4 seeds go to division winners. Every year there is at least one division that is just awful and one team stands above the rest just by being mediocre. If these teams can't beat up on their pathetic division mates for more wins than a wildcard team, why should they get homefield advantage? Are the Colts and Ravens less worthy of a top 4 seed just because they have the top 2 teams in the conference in their division? Does the Titans being very good, mean that somehow the Colts couldn't also be?

4 games left and the Colts are sitting in the top wildcard spot, but a little breathing room for Indy and a little sweat from the Titans fans would be great.

Browns over Titans, The Browns aren't a great team, but can surprise a great team as the Giants and Colts found out. Unfortunately Robert Mathis may have sealed the AFC South for the Titans with his second sack on Derek Anderson which tore the QB's MCL. Ken Dorsey will start for the Browns backed up by the newly signed Bruce Gradkowski

Bills over Dolphins, The Bill are alive in the playoff race, but just barely. The Fins are the leading candidate to knock the Colts out of the wildcard since it's still possible for them to win the tiebreaker over the Colts (unlike the Pats).

Jets over Niners, The Jets would lose on tiebreakers to the Colts right now if they were knocked off the top of their division, but they are closer than anyone to reversing the tiebreaker on the Colts.

Seahawks over Patriots. With a Colts win would knock the Patriots 2.5 games with 3 to play.

Redskins over Ravens. NO!, we get to play the Broncos, NOT YOU BALTIMORE.

The Colts DVOA dropped like you would expect. What you wouldn't expect is that it dropped less than a percent allowing them to rise up one place overall and in the AFC due to Arizona and the Jets taking big hits.

DVOA ranks the Colts as the 11th best team in the league (10th when weighted towards more recent games) and 4th in the AFC.

Offensively it's the same story. The Colts DVOA falls, but the teams around them fell harder, raising Indy up one spot to 6th in the league and 2nd in the AFC (to Denver).

The Running games poor performance, especially on short yardage where they had been successful, against a sub-par D and their first fumble of the year drops them to a more intutive ranking of 22nd. Despite what many have called a bad game for Peyton the Colts now have the top ranked pass O in the AFC, 5th overall.

The directional splits paint an odd picture in the run game. The Colts are at their best running wide left where they are about league average. That would probably be attributed to the Colts classic stretch play, except that they are at their worst running to right end. That would suggest that it's Ugoh and CJ outperforming Diem and Pollak, but the trend is reversed (but far less extreme) going behind right and left tackle. The Colts have been far better running outside to Ugoh and CJ's side, but are more successful running directly behind Diem and Pollak. My guess is that it's Ugoh and CJ's athletism that's making the difference. Both have played LT the elite athletic spot on the line. Ugoh has fantastic physical tools that he shows inconsistantly and CJ was converted from TE in college. Both players have been inconsistant though, which is likely why the Colts struggle to run behind the two of them.

Pass Protection has remained excellent. The Colts are ranked 2nd.

Defensively the Colts hop back into the top half of the league at 14th. The improved DB play has reopenned the traditional gap between the run D and pass D. The Pass D ranks 13th, while the run D trails a quarter of the league behind at 21st.

The Colts have the most consistant special teams in the league. Returns are sub-par, coverage is very good, kicking is mediocre.

Finally the playoff odds. Indy is a near lock according to FO. 96% chance of getting a wildcard spot, 0.7% chance of winning the division. Their numbers expect the Colts to get the 5 seed over the 6 seed in the AFC by a near 2:1 margin.

1 week to go and well, the playoff field is set. Isn't this anticlimactic.

48 layers of Kevlar (dothemathis98) clinches the #1 seed, leaving Pat Beach 4 President (Matic) with the #2 spot and other bye week. I (The Inflamed Bursa Sacs) lock in at #3 with the largest margin of victory of the week despite benching Westbrook for Ryan Grant (-33.1 points). We keep on rolling with the clinches with Tom Brady's Bastard Children at #4 (furrycolt), they hold a one game lead and the head to head over both 7-6 teams)

A Hartbreaker for Aerostar193 as Slaton comes up 3.5 points short from closing a 36 point deficit to put him into the playoffs.

The failed comeback ended Fighting For Last's plummet toward the bottom leaving jbd's squad fighting for the #5 seed. His competition is ttmemphis' Memphis Red Dog's. Memphis Red Dogs won the head to head matchup so gets the 5 seed with a win, but falls to #6 with a loss and Fighting for Last win.

The current playoff field

1. 48 Layers of Kevlar (dothemathis98) 12-1   [clinched #1]
   
2. Pat Beach For President (Matic) 11-2            [clinched  bye]
3. The Inflamed Bursa Sacs (Shake) 10-3          [clinched division]
   
4. Tom Brady's Bastard Children (furrycolt) 8-5 [clinched #4 seed]
   
5. Fighting For Last (jdb) 7-6   
   
6. Memphis Red Dogs (ttmemphis) 7-6

In the playing for pride division slash196 won a 4th straight game (after a 0-7, then 1-8 start) propelling Marlin Bob Antoine Kelvin - Heavy Hitters to the top of the consolation brackett

Hey there's consolation playoffs too you know

1. Marlin Bob Antoine Kelvin - Heavy Hitters (slash196) 5-8
2. Hart Attack (Aerostar193) 5-8   
   
3. Gotta Have Hart (Markfive05) 4-9
4. The Vanderjerks (beckmania) 4-9
5. Philidelpha Ninja Hands (JakeOB33) 3-10
   
6. Moorehead Soft Hands Corp. (torontocoltsfan) 2-11

Since there is little suspense for this week I'll add some.

THE JAGS, THE TEXANS, IT'S MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ON ESPN!!!!!!!!!

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Seriously I have no idea why this is a primetime game. It's the battle for 3rd in the AFC South. Who sucks less? The self destructing Jags or the still building Texans.

Much easier to sort out this week. No 3 way ties. Every team still able to finish over .500 listed

*=Colts have head to head over Ravens

^=Patriots (3-2) have division record over Dolphins (2-2)

`=Jags and Texans play MNF