Why Colts Game is Great Litmus Test for Jaguars

In Week 14, the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Indianapolis Colts in the most important game they've played yet in the 2025 NFL season. This team has gone 8-4 in its first 12 games, firmly entrenching itself in the playoff conversation in the AFC. In fact, the Jaguars made a miraculous climb to the top of the division.

The Colts had the AFC South firmly in their control for the majority of the season, jumping out to a 7-1 record to establish themselves as one of the top contenders in the league. Then, they dropped three of their last four games, allowing the Jaguars to not only open the door for a run at the division but actually leapfrog them in the standings with a "common opponents" tiebreaker. Of course, that won't matter after Week 14, when one of these two teams will take a crucial one-game lead.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Indianapolis Colts, Trevor Lawrence — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks to pass during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week 14 will show Jaguars' playoff mettle

Clearly, the stakes for the Jacksonville Jaguars' Week 14 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts extend far beyond just a normal regular-season game. The victor will take a lead in the AFC South race that could prove instrumental in playoff seeding, while the loser will have to worry about potentially dropping out of the Wild Card picture.

This might not be a virtual play-in game, like the one the Houston Texans play against the Kansas City Chiefs on the same day, but it's by far the most important one the Jaguars will have played this season.

Indianapolis is one of the toughest opponents that Jacksonville has left on the slate, too, as they'll take on the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and Tennessee Titans in their other remaining matchups. Head Coach Liam Coen was asked if the intense magnitude of this game would be revealing for his team:

Of the top 7 playoff eligible teams (if the playoffs began today), the #Jaguars have both the hardest Strength of Schedule & Strength of Victory (.493 & .439)

The #Patriots have the 2nd easiest SOS (.359) of the top 12 teams, & the #Colts & #Broncos have the lowest two SOVs pic.twitter.com/kUnJKT8i98
— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 🅓. ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕞𝕖𝕤 (@TravisDHolmes) December 4, 2025

"A lot of your best players typically rise up in a lot of these moments. And then there are others that you figure out do as well. And that's a cool part of, as you just mentioned, learning about your team and learning about playing in critical moments, but not making it too big either. That's that fine line that we walk in this profession and in this game, that these guys are ultimately out there performing. So, I really want them to go out with a truly, 'Man, let's just see what the heck happens, and let's go play our best ball and see what happens' [attitude]. And that's ultimately all you can ask for from your players."

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