With Sunday’s 23-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Indianapolis Colts left the home finale with a familiar sting that has defined how each season is destined to end. The Colts winless drought reached six straight games down the home stretch and they will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season following another late collapse of epic proportions.
It felt more like a senior day operation inside Lucas Oil Stadium than an actual game that had any relevance to the future of the franchise as the Colts were held to a season-low 204 total Net yards in the final home game. Colts quarterback Philip Rivers completed 17 of 30 passes for 147 passing yards and one touchdown, but the 44-year-old signal caller was sacked twice and threw another fourth-quarter interception. It was his third turnover in three starts that ultimately became the decisive play to shift the momentum to the Jags.
Indianapolis’ special teams unit was the lone bright spot, igniting the home crowd on the opening kickoff with a 53-yard return by Ashton Dulin to set up the offense in a favorable field position. The Colts marched deep into Jaguars territory before settling for a 33-yard field goal made by kicker Blake Grupe, who has delivered on all eight field goal attempts in four games since making his Colts debut in Jacksonville.
The Colts caught a huge break after a botched hook-and-ladder trick play resulted in a fumble recovery by Samson Ebukam to terminate the Jaguars’ opening drive inside the red zone. The stampede sporting blue carried that momentum with a punishing marathon drive as running back Jonathan Taylor capped a 15-play, 83-yard march with a 3-yard touchdown run to put Indianapolis ahead 10-0. The Colts’ three-time Pro Bowl tailback finished with 70 rushing yards on 21 carries and matched a career-high with his 20th touchdown of the season.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence leaned on his legs to score both touchdowns to lift the Jaguars to an imperative win over the Colts. Jacksonville sits at 12-4, set to host a playoff game and claim the AFC South title with a win over the last place Titans in Week 18.
Jacksonville stormed back behind Lawrence, who repeatedly burned the Colts with his arm and his legs. The Jaguars retaliated as Lawrence scrambled into the end zone for a 4-yard rushing touchdown to finish a 12-play drive and get Jacksonville on the scoreboard. After Lawrence hit receiver Parker Washington with a 37-yard bomb in the third quarter, the longest play of the game, he scored a 6-yard touchdown run that gave the Jaguars their first lead at 14-10.
The Colts responded quickly as Rivers hit receiver Josh Downs for an 18-yard catch on third down. After a defensive pass interference call moved the ball inside the Jacksonville 10, Rivers found veteran tight end Mo Ali-Cox for a 5-yard touchdown to reclaim a 17-14 lead. Rivers’ lone touchdown pass was the 425th passing TD of his 18-year career, which is the sixth-most in NFL history.
The Jaguars tied the game late in the third quarter with a 34-yard field goal after Lawrence converted multiple third downs, including a 19-yard completion to tight end Brenton Strange. Jacksonville then capitalized on a Rivers interception midway through the fourth quarter, turning a short field into a Little 42-yarder to take the lead. Lawrence finished with 263 total passing yards and two rushing touchdowns, while Washington led all receivers with 115 receiving yards, including the 37-yard strike that flipped momentum in the third quarter.
It would be tough to find a more epic collapse from any Colts season in the Indianapolis era after starting the 2025 season 7-1, only to lose six straight games and fall out of playoff contention to spoil the holiday weekend. The Colts became just the sixth team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to win seven of their first eight games and miss the playoffs.
Instead of an inspirational send-off, the home finale became yet another chapter in the frustrating finishes with this core. If Sunday was the final curtain call of the farewell tour for Grandpa Phil, it proved that he can still compete among the NFL’s best players despite a five-year absence. Enough so that head coach Shane Steichen chose him to command the troops with nothing to play for.
The Colts hit the road for the regular season finale against the rival Houston Texans next Sunday.
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