Colts hoping to keep playoff hopes alive as Jags chase AFC South crown
- - Colts hoping to keep playoff hopes alive as Jags chase AFC South crown
The December 27, 2025 at 2:35 AM
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1 / 4APTOPIX 49ers Colts FootballIndianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) catches a touchdown pass against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Jacksonville (11-4) at Indianapolis (8-7)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox.
BetMGM NFL odds: Jaguars by 6 1/2.
Against the spread: Jaguars 9-5-1; Colts 8-7.
Series record: Colts lead 28-21.
Last meeting: Jaguars beat Colts 36-19 on Dec. 7 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Last week: Jaguars beat Broncos 34-20; Colts lost to 49ers 48-27.
Jaguars offense: overall (15), rush (19), pass (15), scoring (7t).
Jaguars defense: overall (13), rush (1), pass (24), scoring (10).
Colts offense: overall (8), rush (10), pass (11), scoring (6).
Colts defense: overall (25), rush (5), pass (31), scoring (18).
Turnover differential: Jaguars plus-12; Colts plus-1.
Jaguars player to watch
DE Josh Hines-Allen. In 11 matchups with Indy, Hines-Allen has 11 1/2 sacks — his highest total against any opponent — including at least one in four straight games. He's also had 39 tackles, 20 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss and forced two fumbles against the Colts. The injuries to Indy's offensive line could lead to another big day from the Jaguars defense and top pass rusher.
Colts player to watch
RB Jonathan Taylor. The Pro Bowler looked as if he'd run away with his second NFL rushing title in Week 10. He'd had five 100-yard games with a season-high 244 yards in Berlin. Since then, he's averaging 70.0 yards per game, has two TD runs and is second in the league's rushing race. Indy needs more from Taylor against a team that held him to 74 yards on 21 carries in Week 14.
Key matchup
Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence vs. Indy's secondary. Lawrence was 17 of 30 with 244 yards and two TDs in the rain earlier in the month. But Brian Thomas Jr. has dominated the Colts — 15 catches for 312 yards in three games — and Jakobi Meyers has made a huge impact since being acquired in a trade. The Colts secondary must regroup after getting shredded by Brock Purdy and the 49ers last week, but it will be tough for this injury-depleted group that ranks 31st in the league.
Key injuries
Jaguars: CB Jourdan Lewis will miss the rest of the season because he will have season-ending foot surgery. Three additional players, including C Robert Hainsey (groin), G Patrick Mekari (back), did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. ... CBs Montaric Brown (neck), G Ezra Cleveland shoulder), LB Jalen Mcleod (ankle), WR Tim Patrick (foot) and RB Bhayshul Tuten (finger) have done limited work on the first two practice days. ... CB Greg Newsome (shoulder) and DE Danny Striggow (ankle) were upgraded from non-participants Wednesday to doing limited work Thursday.
Colts: Indy's offensive line has taken some big hits in recent weeks. RT Braden Smith went on injured reserve (concussion/neck) and C Tanor Bortolini (concussion protocol) has been ruled out this week. It's still unclear whether LT Bernhard Raimann (elbow) will play Sunday. Dalton Tucker, who started at RG, on Monday also sat out Wednesday’s walkthrough because of a shoulder injury and did limited work Thursday. ... The other big news is that Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner was put back on injured reserve with a neck injury Friday. ... Two-time All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner has missed three straight games but is on track to play Sunday. ... DE J.T. Tuimoloau (oblique) and receiver-returner Anthony Gould (foot) will not play this week.
Series notes
Jacksonville has won four of the past five in the series and owns 11 straight wins as the home team. ... Indy has won five of the past six at Lucas Oil Stadium and is 18-6 all time at home. ... The Jags are seeking their fourth season sweep of the Colts, their third in the past nine years. ... The teams have split the season series in eight of the past 10 years. ... Indy won the first five games in the series, including the only two matchups when these teams were not division rivals.
Stats and stuff
Jacksonville and Indy will both be watching the Texans-Chargers game closely Saturday. Not only would a Texans loss keep the Colts playoff hopes alive, it would also give the Jags a pathway to clinch their first AFC South title since 2022. ... The Jags have won six straight and seven of their past eight and have allowed no sacks in a game a league-high five times this season — one short of the most in a single season in franchise history. ... Lawrence needs four TD passes to reach 30 in a single season for the first time and five for No. 100 in his career. ... Thomas has had 85 yards receiving or more in three straight games. ... RB Travis Etienne Jr. has scored in each of his past three games. He needs 1 yard to join the 1,000-yard club and two TDs to surpass Marcedes Lewis (33) for No. 5 in franchise history. ... Meyers has 31 catches, 400 yards and three TD catches in the past six games. ... Only three players from the 2022 have had 10 or more quarterback hits in each of their first four NFL seasons and Jags DE Travon Walker is one of them. ... LB Foyesade Oluokun has had 100 or more tackles in six straight seasons. ... Devin Lloyd's nine interceptions rank second among the league's linebackers since 2022. ... Indy has lost five straight and six of its past seven, sliding into the No. 8 slot in the AFC playoff race. ... The Colts are one of four teams in the league with no turnovers in the red zone. ... QB Philip Rivers is chasing career win No. 135 and needs 251 yards to pass Ben Roethlisberger, who starts this week ranked No. 6 all time. Rams QB Matthew Stafford is seventh at 63, 988 and Rivers is eighth. ... Taylor needs one TD run to tie his own franchise record of 18. He also needs two total TDs to break his own franchise record for TDs from scrimmage in one season (20). He set both marks in 2021. ... Tyler Warren ranks fourth among NFL tight ends with 748 yards receiving this season. That's a Colts single-season record for a rookie TE. ... DE Laiatu Latu has had 10 1/2 sacks and three interceptions in his first 30 games. Only three other players (Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit; Shaquille Leonard, Indy; and Brian Urlacher, Chicago) have achieved that feat since 2000. ... DeForest Buckner has 43 sacks since joining Indy, the most in franchise history by a defensive tackle. ... Indy has had at least one takeaway in a league-best 14 games this season.
Fantasy tip
Lawrence. He's thrown for at least 225 yards and two TDs in each of his past four games, one coming in the first matchup against Indy. This time, he'll be playing in the controlled environment of a dome stadium. Lawrence leads the AFC in TD passes and needs 343 yards to surpass Blake Bortles for second in franchise history. Expect a big day against Indy's struggling pass defense.
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Source: “AOL Sports”
