AFC Playoff Scenarios & Potential Opponents,…

Alan Scheumann, Decatur, Ind.: Do the Indianapolis Colts have a chance to host a playoff game at Lucas Oil stadium and what are the chances?

Let’s start with what would happen if the Colts won the AFC South (which has, according to FiveThirtyEight, a 12 percent chance of happening). That’d give the Colts an 11-6 record and the opportunity to host a playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since 2014.

If the Bengals were to split their final two games – say, a loss to the Chiefs and a win over the Browns – the Colts would be the AFC No. 2 seed no matter what happens in the AFC East (the Colts own head-to-head tiebreakers over the Bills and Patriots).

If the Colts win the AFC South and the Bengals and Patriots are also division champions, the Colts would be the AFC No. 3 seed, with the Bengals snagging the No. 2 seed. But! If the Colts, Bengals and Bills are all division champions, the Colts would be the AFC No. 2 seed.

So that’s path No. 1 to hosting a playoff game. But there is another way, even if the Colts enter the playoffs as the AFC No. 5 seed. If the Colts win on wild card weekend and both other wild card teams win – so the Nos. 6 and 7 seeds – then the Colts would host the No. 6 seed while the No. 7 seed would play the No. 1 seed.

Now, the chances of this happening? Probably pretty slim right now.

But in this NFL season full of parity and wild results – hey, why not?