Indianapolis Colts Cap Season with Fitting AFC South Sweep

Sure, the Indianapolis Colts' 27-10 win over the Tennessee Titans didn't mean anything. 

Locked into the No. 4 seed prior to the contest, by winning, the Colts merely helped the Titans get the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2015 draft, in terms of pure win-loss impact. 

But the win was a fitting way for the Colts to cap the 2014 season, for a variety of reasons. 

AFC South Dominance

The Colts' win over Tennessee marked the teams' sixth divisional win of the season and the second consecutive sweep of the AFC South. 

On one hand, the Titans were a great example of the divisions ineptitude on Sunday. Charlie Whitehurst played like he has throughout his career, which is to say poorly. Whitehurst finished 12-of-28 for 72 yards and was sacked four times on the day.

In a year that included Jake Locker's implosion, Zach Mettenberger and Blake Bortles' rookie years and the season-ending carousel of Case Keenum and Tom Savage in Houston, Whitehurst's day was the perfect way to cap off the AFC South's cumulative quarterback play.

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The Colts have had four undefeated seasons in the division since realignment in 2002. Only one other team has even done it twice (Pats).

— Derek Schultz (@Schultz1260) December 28, 2014"

On the other hand, sweeping a collection of three teams over a 12-game span is impressive, no matter who it's against. This is the NFL, after all. 

Of course, it helps when your backup quarterback is the second-best quarterback in the division. Don't look at me like that, Ryan Fitzpatrick fans.

Andrew Luck Back on Track, Run Game Not so Much

Sanford Myers/Associated Press

After struggling for a few weeks, Andrew Luck got back on track by going 10-of-16 for 160 yards and two touchdowns for a passer rating of 122.9. 

That's with a makeshift offensive line, the umpteenth different combination the Colts have used all year. That's without Dwayne Allen. That's without a run game to speak of, as the Colts running backs ran for just 77 yards on 25 carries. 

Luck was off early as the offensive line allowed quick pressure on the first couple drives, and Luck took some vicious hits. But as the Colts ramped up the play action, Luck's pocket time improved, and he was able to find tight ends running free, namely Coby Fleener.

Another big improvement was Reggie Wayne, who shook off his age and a defender to spin and catch a gorgeous throw from Andrew Luck before rumbling for 80 yards. Wayne would leave the game with a groin injury after the play, but the explosive play was something that was missing from Indianapolis for the last two weeks. 

Of course, the running game continues to sputter. Tennessee was ranked 30th in run defense by Football Outsiders' DVOA prior to Week 17, but the Colts still averaged just 3.1 yards per carry. 

Player	Attempts	Yards	YPC	Touchdowns
Dan Herron	10	35	3.5	0
Zurlon Tipton	9	21	2.3	0
Trent Richardson	6	11	1.8	0

Getting some healthy offensive linemen back, like Gosder Cherilus and Joe Reitz, should help, but the Colts lost several players to injury on Sunday as well. A number of them were offensive linemen, including A.Q. Shipley and Hugh Thornton. The Colts offensive line lacks depth and has all season, so health will be paramount for any sort of playoff run.

Defense is What We Thought It Was

The Colts defense got back to its roots against Tennessee as well, holding the Titans to just 192 total yards and 10 points. 

As they have all season, the Colts beat up on a bad passing offense that was one-dimensional in a blowout. The team's pass rush came off of unblocked players and well-designed stunts. 

Rookie Jonathan Newsome has had a nice season and could be an important piece going forward for the Colts. But having a rookie outside linebacker (who had one-third of his sacks come from unblocked plays in Week 17) lead the team in sacks with 6.5 is indicative of the lack of pass-rushing talent the team had. 

The defensive domination of Tennessee, in the end, does not mean things are on the upswing. This is still the defense that provided zero resistance to the Cowboys two weeks ago. Nothing has changed on that front. 

A strong stretch may be possible for the defense, but it would take exceptional coaching and strong individual efforts from key players who haven't been consistent this season. 

Obviously that task would be a lot easier against Andy Dalton in the Wild Card Round than it would against Pittsburgh. 

Looking Ahead

Week 17 was never really about the Colts. It rarely has been over the last 15 years. The Colts have had the benefit of knowing they were in the dance, rather than needing to rely on the help of other teams to get in. 

It's not a blessing that should be taken lightly. 

Now the Colts look ahead to the playoffs, where they will face the loser of Sunday night's Cincinnati and Pittsburgh matchup. 

Outside of offensive line injuries, not much has changed for Indianapolis since facing either of those teams earlier this year. That doesn't mean the same results would play out, but the same strengths and weaknesses would likely apply. 

The Colts could probably keep Andy Dalton in check or at least would have a much better chance than against Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers pass defense, on the other hand, wouldn't be frightening. But when it comes to the NFL playoffs, you'd always rather face the worse quarterback. 

Could the Colts make a run in the playoffs? It certainly doesn't look probable, given the way they played down the stretch.

But they're in. They are in the dance, and that is all that matters. For the 14th time in the last 16 years, the Colts are in the postseason. 

Now the fun can begin.