The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, 23-17. It was potentially the final game of 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers' career.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts entered Sunday's home finale at Lucas Oil Stadium with nothing meaningful to play for against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the postseason no longer a possibility, it was just pride on the line for the Colts.
Sunday went much the way that most other weeks have gone for the Colts (8-8) over the last two months, resulting in a 23-17 loss to the Jaguars (12-4), who swept the two-game AFC South series this season.
After a 7-1 first half of the season in which they were the top seed in the entire NFL, the Colts have since lost seven of their last eight games, including their last six. According to James Boyd of The Athletic, "The Colts are the first team in 30 years and just the sixth since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to start a season 8-2 and miss the playoffs."
Here's how Sunday's game evolved.
FIRST QUARTER
The Jaguars won the opening coin toss and elected to differ, giving the Colts the ball first. Ashton Dulin, fresh off a four-game stint on Injured Reserve, returned the kick 53 yards to Jacksonville's 44-yard line. He's averaging 31.8 yards on 12 returns this season. The Colts' offense strung together an eight-play, 29-yard drive ending in a 33-yard Blake Grupe field goal to take an early 3-0 lead with 11:14 remaining in the first quarter.
The Jaguars appeared prime to score on the ensuing drive getting down into the red zone in eight plays. However, quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a short pass to Jakobi Meyers on the left side. He then lateraled backwards to a crossing Travis Etienne Jr., who fumbled the ball. It was recovered by Colts defensive end Samson Ebukam at the Indy 17-yard line.
SECOND QUARTER
The Colts' offense went marching on their bonus drive. They put together a methodical 15-play, 83-yard series that took more than eight minutes off the clock. In the end, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor took it three yards up the middle into the end zone out of shotgun formation. Grupe's extra point made it a 10-0 lead with 12:49 remaining in the first half.
The Jaguars finally got on the board in their ensuing drive, going 69 yards in 12 plays as Lawrence escaped pressured and ran into the end zone from four yards out, making Colts safety Nick Cross miss in the process. Kicker Cameron Little's extra point cut the Colts' lead to 10-7 with 5:38 left in the first half.
The Colts were forced to punt for the first time on their next drive. After getting 16 yards from Philip Rivers to Josh Downs on first down, the offense got just five more yards as Downs dropped a pass on 3rd-and-5.
The Colts' defense got a huge stop on the Jaguars' ensuing drive, as Laiatu Latu registered a sack on second down, followed by Adetomiwa Adebawore and Zaire Franklin teaming up for one on third down. Jacksonville then had their first punt of the day.
After another Colts punt (three-and-out), the Jaguars made a final push before halftime. However, Lawrence forced a throw into the back of the end zone to Parker Washington, which landed right in the midsection of Colts linebacker Germaine Pratt for the second Colts takeaway of the first half.
THIRD QUARTER
The third quarter got off to a sluggish start, with both teams trading punts before they then traded touchdowns.
With 7:26 left in the third quarter, Lawrence ran the ball into the end zone once again, this time from six yards, to give the Jags a 14-10 lead. The Colts then responded with a five-play drive that concluded in a five-yard score from Rivers to Mo Alie-Cox. The Colts reclaimed the lead, 17-14, with 5:38 left in the third quarter.
Jacksonville continued the scoring on the following drive, as Little connected on a 34-yard field goal to tie the game at 17-17, with 1:25 left in the third quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
Following a Colts punt, the defense had the opportunity to come up with a huge stop, and they did just that. On a Jacksonville 4th-and-1 from the Indy 24-yard line, Lawrence ran a sneak up the middle, but he was found to have been stopped short following a virtual measurement. The Colts' offense took over at their own 24-yard line with 9:25 left in the game.
Just three plays into the drive, Rivers looked to the left side and threw a short route, which appeared to be tipped and then intercepted by Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones.
The Colts' defense held firm on Jacksonville's drive, keeping them to a 42-yard field goal despite the drive starting at the Indy 21-yard line. It made the score 20-17 with 6:58 left in the game.
The Colts turned the ball over on downs on their following drive, taking 3:52 off the clock before the Jaguars took over at the Colts' 48-yard line with 3:11 remaining. Jacksonville was able to convert on 4th-and-1 at the two-minute warning. The Colts squandered Jacksonville's attempts at extending the drive before the Jaguars converted a 53-yard field goal to extend the lead to 23-17 with 0:18 left in the game.
The Colts were unable to make anything happen with the remaining time despite backup quarterback Riley Leonard coming in to attempt a Hail Mary with 0:04 remaining, which was intercepted in the end zone.
Inactives: C Tanor Bortolini (concussion), RB Tyler Goodson (ankle), S Reuben Lowery III, S George Odum, G Dalton Tucker (shoulder), DE JT Tuimoloau (oblique)
Early-Exit Injuries: CB Sauce Gardner (calf)
Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.