Amazingly, the 6-8 Indianapolis Colts are still in a position to win their division despite playing without star quarterback Andrew Luck for more than half of the season and ranking in the bottom half of the league in both offense and defense.
NFL picks and predictions, Colts vs. Dolphins 2015: Experts divided on AFC matchup
The Colts’ biggest advantage in this game may be that it simply means more to them.
Welcome to the AFC South.
Thanks to a loss against the Houston Texans last week, the Colts will probably need to win out in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Texans own a one-game lead in the division and their two remaining games are against the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston owns the tiebreaker over Indianapolis if the two AFC South rivals finish with the same record.
Fortunately for the Colts, the Miami Dolphins are one of the most moribund teams in the league. A win on Sunday is more than possible.
Forty-year-old Matt Hasselbeck's lack of arm strength has handicapped the Colts' offense, rendering deep threats T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett largely useless. Hilton, who recently criticized the playcalling, was held to a mere 29 yards against the Texans.
Houston, though, has one of the best pass defenses in the league. The same can’t be said for the Dolphins, who are currently sixth-worst against the pass.
But the Colts' pass defense is actually worse, which could lead to a big game for Ryan Tannehill -- that is, if his performance against the San Diego Chargers last week isn't a preview of how he plans on finishing out the season. Tannehill only threw for 215 yards in Miami's 30-14 loss.
It’s been a disappointing year for Tannehill, who received a $96 million contract extension with $45 million guaranteed over the offseason. He’s only completed more than 61 percent of his passes in a game once since late October.
The Colts have a lot more on the line than the Dolphins Sunday, as they're still fighting for a playoff berth and are possibly playing for head coach Chuck Pagano's job. The Dolphins, meanwhile, are just playing out the string under interim head coach Dan Campbell.
Though these two teams are similar on paper, those intangible factors may push the Colts over the top. But the experts are split on which team will come out with the win. While only one guy at CBS Sports is going with the Colts, five of our eight experts at SB Nation are picking Indy to win.
| Week 16 | Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark |
| IND vs MIA | MIA | IND | IND | MIA | MIA | IND | IND | IND |
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