OAKLAND, Calif. -- It was only fitting that the Indianapolis Colts' playoff aspirations came to an end this way.

The Colts took the field at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday knowing they could remain in playoff contention with a victory over the Raiders because Tennessee was on its way to losing to Jacksonville.

But in typical fashion, of the sort that goes back to the 2015 season, the Colts couldn’t handle the pressure. And for the second consecutive season, they’ll start their offseason in the first week of January.

The Colts put on the type of performance that should have everybody in the organization feeling ashamed in a 33-25 loss to the Raiders that eliminated them from the playoffs. The Colts trailed by as many as 26 points before getting back to within eight with less than three minutes remaining in the game.

"It’s not good," quarterback Andrew Luck said. "It’s not what being a Colt is all about. It’s not what playing for the Horseshoe is all about. Not that the playoffs are the ultimate goal every year. We know what the ultimate goal is. To get to [the Super Bowl] you have to get to the playoffs, that’s the standard that many guys set before I joined this club. Like all the guys in [the Colts locker room], I feel responsible for not making it."

This is the first time the Colts (7-8) will miss the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since the 1997-98 campaigns. The Colts wrap up the 2016 season against Jacksonville on New Year’s Day, but it’s already time to start thinking about which direction the franchise is headed.

That's how far the Colts have fallen since they reached the AFC Championship Game two years ago.

"I'm standing here and speechless for one of the few times," Colts safety Mike Adams said. "We had a chance again and we didn't get it done. And it's disappointing because we’re better than what was showed. Even better than what was displayed [Saturday] The inconsistencies, they just can’t happen."

Saturday’s play -- or lack of play -- was the type that should re-emphasize questions owner Jim Irsay might have about whether he has the right group leading his team despite giving contract extensions to coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson 11 months ago. The result goes with 35-point losses at Pittsburgh and Jacksonville and a home defeat versus Houston when the Colts still had a chance to win the division in 2015. This season, there were two losses to Houston and a blown game against Detroit in Week 1. Without them, the Colts would have been in position to win the AFC South.

The Colts aren't tough enough -- mentally or physically -- to face their challenges head-on.

Simply having Luck at quarterback is no longer good enough for the Colts. That's definitely the case when Luck is part of the problem, as happened Saturday, when he threw two interceptions. The personnel on Indianapolis' roster is not talented enough, and the rest of the AFC South has closed the gap or passed the Colts.

"A lot of growth that needs to [happen]," linebacker Robert Mathis said. "Every week is a different challenge. When you string it together it makes you a complete team. We’re not a complete team yet and we still have a lot of growth. A lot of things we can do to be better."

The only thing the Colts have done consistently this season is be inconsistent. They won consecutive games only once, and they will not have a better-than-.500 record at any point this season. The distance between the Colts and the legit teams in the AFC couldn’t be more evident than it was Saturday against the Raiders.

"We could never get on a run," Pagano said. "We can never keep it going and have the momentum to string two, three, four, five games together like you need to do. When you had opportunities and a lot of ups and downs, we make no excuses about whatever. That's disappointing."

While the Colts were trying to be cute with fake field goal attempts and Luck was throwing interceptions, the Raiders went through a stretch where they scored five straight touchdowns to blow open what was, momentarily, a close game. Oakland already had more than 400 yards of total offense and was 7-of-10 on third down by early in the fourth quarter before the Colts' frantic comeback to make the game closer than it really was.

Maybe next season for the Colts, because this season -- like last -- will end at the conclusion of Week 17.

"Nothing is a just given, so you have to come in every year, every week, every whatever," Mathis said. "When the opportunity presents itself, you have to seize the moment, so when you don't, changes happen."