Colts at Browns: Week 17 preview, odds and injuries

Week 17 · Sun, Jan 3 · Huntington Bank Field1 PM ET

at1 PMET · Fox

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 2:46 PM ET

The Indianapolis Colts (2-7) visit the Cleveland Browns (5-4) on Sun, Jan 3, 1 PM ET at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, OH (Week 17, 2026 season), on Fox.

When and where is Colts vs Browns?

Sun, Jan 3, 1 PM ET at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, OH. TV: Fox.

Who is injured for Colts vs Browns?

Colts: Jalen Travis (OT, doubtful, knee), A.J. Haulcy (S, questionable, ankle), Akeem Davis-Gaither (LB, questionable, knee), Jaylon Carlies (LB, questionable, neck), Justin Walley (CB, questionable, knee) and Mo Alie-Cox (TE, questionable, groin). Browns: Deshaun Watson (QB, questionable, concussion) and Maliek Collins (DT, questionable, elbow).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Colts at Browns: Week 17 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2027-01-03-ind-at-cle (updated 2026-11-10).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 16 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Colts third-down defense vs Browns third-down offense
The Colts' third-down defense ranks 4th in third-down conversion rate (32.7% allowed, 107 third downs faced) and faces a Browns third-down offense ranked 30th (34.5%, 119 third downs).
30thCLE offense26 spots apart4thIND defense
2Colts run game vs Browns run defense
The Colts' run game ranks 5th in EPA per rush (+0.01, 232 rushes) against a Browns run defense ranked 30th (-0.02 allowed, 231 rushes faced).
5thIND offense25 spots apart30thCLE defense
3Browns pass defense vs Colts dropback offense
The Browns' pass defense ranks 9th in EPA per dropback (-0.02 allowed, 336 dropbacks faced) and faces a Colts dropback offense ranked 31st (-0.22, 341 dropbacks).
31stIND offense22 spots apart9thCLE defense

When the Colts have the ballEdge IND · +25 ranks

IND dropback offenseEPA per dropbackCLE pass defense

31st-0.22341 dropbacks

CLE +22

-0.02 allowed336 dropbacks faced9th

IND run gameEPA per rushCLE run defense

5th+0.01232 rushes

IND +25

-0.02 allowed231 rushes faced30th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Browns have the ballNo big edge

CLE dropback offenseEPA per dropbackIND pass defense

22nd-0.01353 dropbacks

+0.11 allowed297 dropbacks faced23rd

CLE run gameEPA per rushIND run defense

29th-0.22194 rushes

+0.03 allowed226 rushes faced32nd

Third downEdge IND · +26 ranks

IND third-down offensethird-down conversion rateCLE third-down defense

20th38.0%121 third downs

40.5% allowed126 third downs faced16th

CLE third-down offensethird-down conversion rateIND third-down defense

30th34.5%119 third downs

IND +26

32.7% allowed107 third downs faced4th

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge IND · +11 ranks

IND red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateCLE red-zone defense

16th58%24 trips

48% allowed29 trips faced9th

CLE red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateIND red-zone defense

31st41%22 trips

IND +11

63% allowed24 trips faced20th

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge CLE · +8 ranks

IND big-play offenseexplosive-play rateCLE defense against big plays

25th8.0%573 plays

11.3% allowed567 plays faced31st

CLE big-play offenseexplosive-play rateIND defense against big plays

21st8.4%547 plays

CLE +8

11.1% allowed523 plays faced29th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge CLE · +16 ranks

IND pass protectionsack rateCLE pass rush

22nd7.3% sacked341 dropbacks

CLE +16

7.7% of dropbacks336 dropbacks faced6th

CLE pass protectionsack rateIND pass rush

32nd10.8% sacked353 dropbacks

IND +16

6.4% of dropbacks297 dropbacks faced16th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge CLE · +18 ranks

IND ball securityturnovers per gameCLE takeaway defense

29th1.9 giveaways a game9 games

CLE +14

1.2 takeaways a game9 games15th

CLE ball securityturnovers per gameIND takeaway defense

13th1.1 giveaways a game9 games

CLE +18

0.7 takeaways a game9 games31st

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesIND 1 · CLE 0 regulars out or doubtful

Colts6 listed

1 of them is a regular ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

DJalen TravisOT93% offense · 9 wk
QAkeem Davis-GaitherLB92% defense · 8 wk
QA.J. HaulcyS83% defense · 8 wk
QJustin WalleyCB72% defense · 7 wk
QJaylon CarliesLB49% defense · 7 wk
QMo Alie-CoxTE38% offense · 9 wk

Browns2 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QDeshaun WatsonQB99% offense · 8 wk
QMaliek CollinsDT62% defense · 8 wk

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelSame rest · IND travels 263 mi

AwayColts

7days since last game

263miles to get here

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 16 vs CIN · 11,950 mi flown this season

Normal week

Rest edgeEvensame restTravel gap 263 mi

HomeBrowns

7days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 16 at BAL · Baltimore · 7,213 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: IND 9 games, 573 offensive and 523 defensive plays · CLE 9 games, 547 offensive and 567 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32