Colts will get no rest in regular-season finale

Indianapolis Coach Tony Dungy intends to play his regulars in Sunday’s game against Miami in an attempt to build momentum for the playoffs.

Dungy also is hoping to put the Colts in the best possible playoff position -- even though they no longer control their seeding fate.

“We’ve got to treat this like a must-win game,” he said Monday. “We need to win to stay ahead of New England and put pressure on Baltimore.”

A month ago, the Colts (11-4) appeared headed toward earning a second consecutive No. 1 seeding in the AFC playoffs. Their late-season collapse has ruined that.

The Colts’ back-to-back losses at Tennessee and Jacksonville left San Diego in the lead for home-field advantage, and Sunday’s demoralizing loss at Houston may have cost Indianapolis a shot at the coveted first-round bye, too.

More troublesome are the problems that seem to get worse each week.

The league’s worst run defense took another hit Sunday when Houston’s Ron Dayne rushed for a career-high 153 yards and two touchdowns -- only the third 100-yard game of the former Heisman Trophy winner’s seven-year career -- in the Texans’ 27-24 victory.