The Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts matchup Saturday night is for all the marbles. The winner makes the playoffs and the loser goes home.
It’s pretty much as simple as that, barring a tie, but let’s not go down that doomsday scenario just yet.
This game is a perfect appetizer for the playoffs and is a rare occurrence. It’s just the 31st winner-take-all game in the final week of the regular season in NFL history, and the 11th since 2000, according to Pro Football researcher Ivan Urena.
These are games featuring a “win-and-in” scenario for both teams, either entering the last week or at kickoff based on earlier results in the day.
This is the first winner-take-all regular-season game in Texans history and just the third for the Colts, who beat the Titans in 2018 and Rams in 1967 in do-or-die games.
Former Jets defensive end Marvin Washington described these games best after the Jets beat the Dolphins in a 1991 win-and-in game.
“We might be the ugliest girl at the dance … but we’re going to put on our ruby-red lipstick and our pumps and our miniskirt, and we’re not going to stand on the wall. We’re going to dance,” Washington said (via The New York Times).
Winner-take-all games have given fans a lot to cheer about in recent years. “Beastquake” doesn’t happen if the Seahawks don’t first beat the Rams in a winner-take-all game to get into the tournament. The 2011 Giants needed a win-and-in game before their Super Bowl run. The Cowboys famously lost three straight win-and-in games from 2011-13, and don’t forget their 44-6 loss to the Eagles in 2008, another all-or-nothing game for both teams. Robert Griffin III helped Washington run the table to make the playoffs as a rookie in 2012, capped by a win against the Cowboys. Cam Newton pulled a superman act by overcoming a car wreck and subsequent back injury in 2014, culminating with a win-and-in game to help Carolina rebound from a 3-8-1 start to make the playoffs.
Point being, winner-take-all games offer unique history. In a best-case scenario for the league and fans, we would be treated to something like the 2021 Chargers-Raiders do-or-die game when they nearly tied.
Here’s a look at the last 10 winner-take-all games:
This became a winner-take-all game based on how games played out earlier in the day, namely a Colts loss as a heavy favorite to the Jaguars. There was also a scenario where a…
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