by Kevin Hickey
In what turned out to be a far more decent game than expected Thursday night, the New England Patriots gave the Indianapolis Colts a little bit of help by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-18, at Acrisure Stadium.
Entering Week 14, there was a four-way tie for the final three wild-card spots in the AFC. That included the Pittsburgh Steelers (5), Cleveland Browns (6), Indianapolis Colts (7) and Houston Texans (8), all of which entered with a 7-5 record.
Thanks to the Patriots’ upset win on the road Thursday night, the Colts moved up to the No. 6 seed. The Browns will enter the weekend as the No. 5 seed while the Texans are officially in the playoff picture as the No. 7 seed.
The Browns won the head-to-head matchup, 39-38, against the Colts in Week 7 while the Colts defeated the Texans in Week 2. They both end the season with what is shaping up to be a crucial matchup in Week 18 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
With five games remaining in the regular season, the Colts control their own destiny. Though unlikely, all five games coming up are winnable. That’s not to say it will be an easy road, but there will be arguments each week as to why the Colts could win.
Of the five remaining games, only the Las Vegas Raiders (5-7) have a losing record. The combined record of the five teams remaining is 31-30 following Thursday night’s game.
The Colts will have a chance to earn one of the wild-card spots over the next month or so, and they got a bit of help from the Patriots on Thursday night.
Originally posted on coltswire.usatoday.com