Why Victory over Titans Might Be Worst Win in Colts Franchise History

The Indianapolis Colts finally ended their imperfect season on Sunday by beating the Tennessee Titans 27-13.

While the win improved the Colts to 1-13, it may have been an incredibly damaging victory to the future of the franchise.

There is a very good chance that Head Coach Jim Caldwell could survive this season thanks to the win, despite calls for his ouster from the fanbase. If the team went 0-16, then there was no way Caldwell would have returned. Now it seems that might happen.

On top of that, the win made it impossible for Indianapolis to get the top pick in the 2012 NFL draft. The Colts have a one-game lead over the St. Louis Rams and the Minnesota Vikings (both teams are 2-12) in the "Suck for Luck" campaign.

While the Rams and Vikings could easily lose their final two games, the Colts face a Houston Texans team down to its third-string quarterback. Also, the Jacksonville Jaguars squad that has been terrible all season.

There is a very good possibility that Indianapolis could go from a position of strength where they would have possessed the top pick in the 2012 draft, and had four-time MVP Peyton Manning returning fully healthy for next season, to moving down the draft board.

Having the No. 1 pick would have meant that the Colts could have tried to trade it for a wealth of picks and players, and helped strengthen their roster from top to bottom. Meanwhile, keeping Manning as their starting quarterback.

That would have helped them fill the massive holes they have along the offensive and defensive lines. As well as given them the opportunity to upgrade their secondary.

I don't think that a team should try and tank a season just to improve its draft slot. That's ridiculous and goes against the point of even playing the game.

That said, if the Colts miss the opportunity to be in a position of power on draft day and retain Caldwell next season all because they won a meaningless game against the Titans in Week 15, then it could be a huge long-term blow to the franchise.