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Indianapolis Colts clinch final spot in AFC playoffs

Published: Dec 30, 2018 at 03:26 PM

For the first time since their deflating finish in the 2014 playoffs, the Indianapolis Colts are a playoff team.

With their 33-17 win over the Tennessee Titans on "Sunday Night Football," the Colts clinched berth in the AFC playoffs. Indy now faces the AFC South champion Houston Texans next Saturday at 4:35 p.m. ET.

Indianapolis' second-half resurgence paved their path to the postseason. The Colts have won nine of their last 10 games in a season that featured Andrew Luck's return from a shoulder injury that wiped out his entire 2017 campaign.

Luck, who threw for 285 yards with three TDs on Sunday, has spearheaded the Colts' surge into the postseason, passing for more than 4,000 yards to carry. The QB also improved his career record to 11-0 against the Titans with the win. Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, no quarterback other than Luck has posted 11 wins and no losses against a single opponent.

In returning to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, the Colts are the third team since the 1970 merger to start the season 1-5 and make the playoffs (2015 Chiefs and 1970 Bengals), per NFL Research.

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