Can the Colts clinch a playoff berth in spite of the Week 17 loss?

The Indianapolis Colts lost a heart-breaker to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17 and have to wait another week to clinch a playoff berth. The Raiders kicked a field goal as time expired to get the win.

Indianapolis remains alive in the playoff race in spite of the loss. They drop to seventh place, now losing the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Raiders. However, the Dolphins and Ravens both lost on Sunday, which means the Colts remain in a wild card position.

They control their destiny with a win in Week 18 when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Los Angeles Chargers can still move into a tie with the Raiders and Colts and it gets a little messy for now, but it will clear itself up next week. If the Chargers beat the Broncos in Week 17, they move into sixth place by virtue of the tiebreaker over the Raiders and Las Vegas drops to eighth place. Those two then face off in Week 18, with the winner getting a playoff berth and the loser likely out. If the Colts beat the Jaguars in Week 18, they’ll be playing in the playoffs.