The Indianapolis Colts (9-7) kept their playoff chances alive for Week 18 after beating the Las Vegas Raiders (7-9).
Despite the feeling the Colts had control of this game throughout all four quarters, they allowed the Raiders to be within an arm’s distance in a game that came down to the final minute. The offense got off to a great start with a touchdown on the opening drive but stalled with three straight punts until they scored their second touchdown of the game with 3:53 left in the second quarter.
Even though Indy was able to score on all three drives (excluding the kneel-down to end the game) in the second half, the inability to punch the ball in the end zone and settle for field goals allowed Las Vegas to hang in. The Colts defense was mostly a bend-but-don’t-break effort in this contest. The lack of pressure on Aidan O’Connell in the second half allowed him to play catch with his receivers.
He was able to guide them on a touchdown drive in the final two minutes to make it a 23-20 game, but the Raiders failed to recover the onside to help seal the victory for the Colts. This secures Shane Steichen a winning record in his first season with the franchise and sets up a playoff opportunity next week against the Houston Texans. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see that contest as one of the two Week 18 Saturday games.
Before taking a look at the regular-season finale, here are five takeaways from the Week 17 win: