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The Indianapolis Colts became just the third team in NFL history to make the playoffs after starting the season 1-5, meaning that they obviously had to be one of the best teams in the league over their final 12 games in order to qualify for the postseason.
One thing is for sure: the Colts were certainly balanced, as Pro Football Focus' numbers suggest:
Overall grades for the Indianapolis Colts as they return to the NFL Playoffs! pic.twitter.com/kdXamkRG4q
— PFF (@PFF) January 4, 2019
Indianapolis went on to win nine of its last 10 games, including a rout of the Tennessee Titans in what was essentially a Week 17 playoff game for the two AFC South rivals.
The Colts' only slip-up during their second-half run was a strange 6-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13, but otherwise, they were very impressive down the stretch, mixing up some dominant performances (like their 23-0 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15) with some thrilling last-minute victories that demonstrated their mettle (like their 28-27 comeback victory over the New York Giants in Week 16).
Indianapolis is returning to the playoffs after a three-year hiatus, and before that absence, the Colts had made the postseason 12 times in a 13-year span, only failing to qualify in 2011 when Peyton Manning missed the season with a neck injury.
Upon Andrew Luck's arrival in 2012, Indy went on to make three straight playoff appearances, culminating in a trip to the AFC Championship Game during the 2014-15 campaign.
The Colts will on the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs this Saturday in an old-fashioned AFC South showdown. The two teams split their regular-season meetings, with Indianapolis most recently winning in Houston on Dec. 9.
