It wasn't supposed to end like this.
The majority of HBO's Hard Knocks in Season: The Indianapolis Colts has been about the team's improvement from its 1-4 start to a playoff contender, and not even a Week 17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders could change that.
After all, all the Colts needed to do was finish their regular season with a win over a Jacksonville Jaguars team that had the league's worst record. Doing so would ensure a postseason spot and a celebratory tone in Wednesday's season finale.
Whoops.
Fans tuning in surely knew the Colts stunningly lost by 15 points and were eventually eliminated from the playoffs with the Pittsburgh Steelers' win over the Baltimore Ravens.