Raiders, Colts Hope To Clear Up AFC’s Muddled Playoff Chase

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts refused to concede thing aft losing 4 of their archetypal 5 games.

Neither did the Las Vegas Raiders amid an embarrassing email ungraded and midseason coaching change.

READ MORE: Search Suspended For Skier Who Went Missing Christmas Day At Northstar Ski Resort

Instead, some teams fought backmost and present find themselves successful presumption to assistance wide the muddled AFC playoff picture.

The calculation is simple:

— If the Raiders triumph their last 2 games, they’ll scope the postseason for the 2nd clip successful 19 years.

— If the Colts triumph Sunday, they’re in.

“We recognize that and we cognize what’s astatine stake,” Colts two-time All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard said aft being activated from the reserve/COVID-19 database Thursday. “We cognize we person to travel retired and play our champion shot against these guys. We person to travel successful and we’ve got to play 4 large quarters of shot if we privation to marque a playoff push.”

The Colts (9-6) surely person played good lately. They’ve won 3 straight, six of 7 and 8 of 10 to retake power of their postseason fate.

And if they bash marque the playoffs, Indy appears to beryllium built for a heavy run. They thin heavy connected Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s starring rusher, 1 of the league’s apical violative lines and a defence that has yielded 16.0 points implicit the past six games.

The Colts besides look immoderate large questions.

Quarterback Carson Wentz landed connected the COVID-19 database Tuesday and it’s uncertain if he’ll beryllium cleared to play. If Wentz doesn’t marque it back, rookie Sam Ehlinger volition marque his archetypal NFL commencement aft moving each week with the starters portion Wentz recovered from the virus.

“If he’s capable to get himself backmost and ready, we’re assured successful Carson,” manager Frank Reich said. “I consciousness similar we’re astatine a much, overmuch amended spot that we were successful Week 3 erstwhile helium didn’t practice. We person truthful galore much practices and games nether our belt. On the flip broadside of that, it’s a large accidental for Sam.”

Las Vegas (8-7), meanwhile, has been winning successful spite of a struggling discourtesy that has scored 17 oregon less points successful 4 consecutive games.

Worse, Derek Carr already has matched his vocation precocious with 17 turnovers this play and the Raiders person had a league-high 17 giveaways and a league-low 4 takeaways implicit the past 8 weeks.

It’s a unsafe operation against a defence that ranks 2nd successful the league with 31 turnovers.

READ MORE: As Winter Storms Continue, Gov. Newsom Declares Emergency Proclamation For 20 California Counties

And arsenic adjacent arsenic the postseason seems for Las Vegas, the 1 happening it cannot spend is different loss.

“We person 2 games near against 2 truly bully shot teams and we request to triumph them,” Carr said. “If we bash and we get in, I deliberation that would beryllium beauteous remarkable. I deliberation that would beryllium beauteous amazing. But it falls successful enactment with what our plans were astatine the opening of the twelvemonth and contempt each the adversity, to beryllium capable to inactive look your goals successful the look and person an accidental to get them, it’s beauteous cool.

“But nary of it matters unless we instrumentality attraction of concern connected the roadworthy present against the Colts.”

STUFFED

The improving Raiders tally defence is simply a cardinal crushed Las Vegas is successful playoff contention. Two weeks ago, successful a triumph astatine Cleveland, Las Vegas held Nick Chubb to less than 4.0 yards per carry. Last week, Denver rushed for 18 yards — the Raiders’ lowest single-game full allowed since Buffalo had 13 yards Dec. 21, 2014.

This week, the situation volition beryllium stopping Taylor.

“It’s a gangly task,” interim manager Rich Bisaccia said. “It’s a squad that truly concentrates connected moving the football, clip of possession, those things. This volition beryllium the 3rd week successful a enactment we are playing against a truly well-coached and truly carnal tally game. We’ll amusement up and we’ll beryllium expected to execute and play well.”

FINAL SCENE?

Receiver T.Y. Hilton, Indy’s longest-tenured subordinate astatine 10 seasons, knows this could beryllium his last location crippled astatine Lucas Oil Stadium. He’s conscionable not pondering the thought.

“No, my caput does not deliberation astir that,” Hilton said.

The four-time Pro Bowler signed a one-year declaration to enactment successful Indy past offseason and has again been slowed by injuries. Hilton doesn’t program to marque a determination until aft the play oregon aft conferring with choky extremity Jack Doyle, Indy’s second-longest tenured player.

RUN TO DAYLIGHT

Raiders moving backmost Josh Jacobs had a breakthrough crippled by matching a vocation precocious with 129 yards rushing successful past week’s victory. It was his archetypal 100-yard crippled this play and came courtesy of immoderate amended blocking, arsenic good arsenic Jacobs producing a season-high 8 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.

MORE NEWS: Man Convicted In 1979 Gruesome Double Murder In Modesto Found Suitable For Parole

“He wants the shot each play,” Bisaccia said. “So, each clip helium comes off, helium wants the ball, each clip helium goes on, helium wants the ball. And that’s what large players do, right? They each privation the football.”