Dec. 27, 2025, 7:53 p.m. ET
The Indianapolis Colts have been eliminated from the 2025 playoff race following the Houston Texans‘ win over the LA Chargers.
This is now the fifth consecutive year that the Colts have missed the postseason, and they did so in a way that has rarely been done before.
According to Josh Dubow of the AP, the Colts are just the sixth team in NFL history to start a season 8-2 and not make the playoffs.
The Colts join the 1995 Raiders, the 1993 Dolphins, the 1987 Chargers, the 1976 Bengals, and the 1976 Cardinals.
Along with the Colts’ current playoff drought, Indianapolis also hasn’t won the AFC South title since 2014.
The Colts have two games left in the season at this point, a home game in Week 17 against Jacksonville, followed by a road game in Houston to close out the year. But at the conclusion of the regular season, the Colts will enter another offseason filled with question marks.
GM Chris Ballard is in his ninth season at the helm, the Colts still have unknowns at quarterback, Shane Steichen’s status will be up in the air, and Indianapolis is without a first-round pick in the next two drafts.