8. Indianapolis Colts
This was not a great performance from the Indianapolis Colts, as they held a double-digit lead multiple times in this game and could not close it out, and I think we are beginning to see this team kind of struggle and fall apart slowly.
Daniel Jones was nothing special in this game, and the offense totally fell flat when the team needed them the most. The defense is good, but it’s not good enough to rely on to win a game like some of these other elite defenses in the league.
This latest Colts’ loss bumps them to that third seed in the AFC, and with an incredibly tough schedule left, they might be at risk of losing the AFC South altogether, as the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars are both frisky.
It will be interesting how the Colts are able to navigate this tough stretch, as they won’t need to win many more to at least get back into the playoffs, but winning the division just got a lot harder with a brutal overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12.
7. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans began the year 0-3. The Houston Texans are now 6-5, so that’s a thing. They’ve made an insane turnaround this year, and not having CJ Stroud for multiple games has made this resurgence even more impressive.
This might just be the best defense in the NFL, and it would be good enough for a deep playoff run. Heading into Week 12, the Texans obviously hope that the Jaguars and Colts lose, as they would continue to make progress in the AFC South, a division they have won in each of the previous two seasons.
CJ Stroud also figures to be back at some point, and that should only make things better for the team. Houston is rising fast in our NFL Power Rankings and are probably again going to win double-digit games. A Colts’ collapse could throw the division in their favor this year.