Stampede Blue
The Indianapolis Colts host the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football in a matchup that they need to win. A loss does not eliminate them from playoff contention, but would put them on the verge of it heading into Week 17.
Both teams come into this game with lengthy injury reports. The Colts will be without left tackle Bernhard Raimann, who was downgraded to out on Saturday, and cornerback Sauce Gardner. The good news on the injury front is that the team activated defensive tackle DeForest Buckner off IR. The 49ers will be without cornerback Renardo Green and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. Pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos is questionable for the game.
The 49ers are a 5.5-point favorite heading into the game.
If the Colts lose to the 49ers, they will be eliminated from AFC South contention. Following wins by the Jaguars and Texans on Sunday, they currently have a less than 1% chance of winning the division at The Athletic’s playoff simulator. They close out the season with a home game against the Jaguars and a road game against the Texans, so they have some opportunities to make things interesting if they can upset the 49ers.
The Colts currently have a 3% chance of claiming a playoff berth, and that drops to 1% with a loss to the 49ers. A win would increase their chances to 5%. The Texans travel to face the Chargers in Week 17, so with that season finale in Houston, Indianapolis is not entirely out of this thing.
