Did you smell the desperation on the Colts last night? Tied at 14 late in the third quarter, having probably played its best football of the season (considering the opponent) Tony Dungy made the odd decision to go for it on 4th and one from midfield. His starting RB was injured, and he was facing the top defense in the NFL. On the road.

Failed. The Titans kicked a FG and took the lead, and after another 4th down stop on the next drive, Tennessee added two more scores to improve to 7-0 with a 31-21 triumph over the 3-4 Colts.

Why not play a field position game against a team that is offensively-challenged at times? At any rate, here are the Colts remaining road games: Pittsburgh, San Diego, Cleveland and Jacksonville. The Browns have been more competitive the last three weeks, and the Jags always give the Colts fits. Let’s say the Colts lose those four.

The home games are considerably easier: Patriots, Texans, Titans (no need to mention the Bengals and Lions, right?). The Titans game is in the last week of the season, so maybe Tennessee rests some starters. New England QB Matt Cassel on the road is not a man to be feared. And even though the Texans always seem to play the Colts tight … we’re talking about the Texans. So maybe they go 5-0 at home.

So best-case scenario – assuming Indy can steal one in Cleveland or Jacksonville, is 9-7. Which is what we projected. There is where you talk about the squirrel finding a nut once …