Colts' Future Is Now Clearer as They Lose 19- 13 and Secure Top Pick in April

This game may have been meaningless as far as playoff hopes go for a Week 17 game, but this AFC South match-up could have had implications on the division for many years.

Had the Colts won, then they would have had the second pick in April's draft, but with the 19-13 loss, the Colts now have secured the No. 1 pick.

It will be the first time since the 1998 season that the Colts will pick first. That year, they picked a guy named Peyton Manning with the first selection.

The top pick is a rare occurrence for such a dominant team in the last decade. Usually a team with such a decline loses all its good players and transitions into a rebuilding effort. That's not the case for the Colts. If the team would have had Manning all season, then there's no way they'd be in this position.

Now the Colts will have a huge decision facing them in March. Do you pay Manning the $28 million extension and keep him a Colt, or do you just release him and pick Andrew Luck in April and make him the new franchise quarterback starting next year?

Colts owner Jim Irsay made it clear on the Lexus Pre-Game show last week on the NFL Network that the Colts would keep Manning if he's healthy. There would be no questions about it. He also said that the Colts would take a young quarterback in the draft if available. You can find all that information in my quick hit thread from the game that night.

I honestly think the Colts will keep Manning and draft Luck and let him learn and grow behind Manning.

The Colts earned the top pick by playing pretty bad football for the first 56 minutes and 38 seconds. Many Colts fan conceived that they would get the top pick before Austin Collie's 12-yard touchdown reception with 3:22 left in the game that brought the score to 19-13. That capped an eight-play, 82-yard drive that lasted 3:28.

For most of the game before that, the Colts offense was awful. They only scored on two Adam Vinatieri field goals from 47 and 20 yards, respectively. The Colts offense was actually outgained by Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew in total yards in the first half.

The Jaguars led the Colts 10-3 at the halftime break after a 23-yard touchdown reception on their second possession from Jason West and a 25-yard Josh Scobee field goal.

The Jags got three Scobee field goals in the second half that proved to be enough for the victory.

It was also the first time the Colts were swept by an AFC South opponent in a season. The Colts won their last two games after starting 0-13 against Tennessee and Houston, which happen to be divisional opponents, and thwarted their efforts to sweep Indy this season. Jacksonville beat Indianapolis on Nov. 13 in an ugly game in Lucas Oil Stadium, and with the win today, they completed the sweep.

It was also the sixth time in as many tries that the Jags won the season finale at home.

There are now many questions for both teams in the offseason, and it can shape the future for both squads in the AFC South.