Colts vs Jacksonville Jaguars Match Player Stats: Full Breakdown of the 23-17 Result

Jacksonville beat Indianapolis 23-17 at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 28, 2025, and the win pushed the Jaguars to the edge of their first AFC South title since 2022. For the Colts, the loss carried a much heavier price. Below is a full look at how each player performed, how the game turned, and what it meant for both teams down the stretch.

Score by Quarter

Indianapolis actually led for most of the first three quarters. Blake Grupe’s 33-yard field goal put the Colts up 3-0, and a long Jonathan Taylor touchdown run made it 10-0 before Jacksonville answered. Trevor Lawrence scored on the ground twice, once in the second quarter and again early in the third, to give the Jaguars their first lead. A Philip Rivers touchdown pass briefly put Indianapolis back on top 17-14 in the third quarter, but that was the last time the Colts scored. Cam Little tied it with a field goal, then won it with two more in the fourth quarter, and Jacksonville sealed the game on a final-play interception in the end zone.

Quarterback Stats: Lawrence vs. Rivers

Lawrence threw for 116 more yards than Rivers but didn’t find the end zone through the air. Instead, he did his damage on the ground, scoring on a 4-yard scramble in the second quarter and a 6-yard run in the third. It was a quieter passing day than usual for Lawrence, whose streak of four straight 275-yard, multi-touchdown games came to an end, and he threw his first interception in five weeks.

Rivers, at 44 years old and in his third start since coming out of retirement, connected with Mo Alie-Cox for a touchdown and briefly gave Indianapolis the lead in the third quarter. His interception in the fourth quarter set up Jacksonville’s go-ahead field goal, a mistake that proved costly in a game decided by single digits. Backup Riley Leonard entered for one play, a deep pass into the end zone on the final snap of the game, and was intercepted to close things out.

Rushing: Taylor and Etienne Both Deliver

Jonathan Taylor carried the load for Indianapolis, rushing 21 times for 70 yards and a touchdown while also catching 3 passes for 14 yards. The performance tied his career high in single-season rushing touchdowns at 18, matching a mark he set back in 2021.

On the other side, Travis Etienne ran 17 times for 76 yards, clearing 1,000 rushing yards on the season for the third time in his four years as a starter. Lawrence added another 26 yards and both of Jacksonville’s rushing scores on 8 carries, giving the Jaguars balance between their running back and quarterback that Indianapolis couldn’t match.

Receiving Leaders

Parker Washington was the biggest receiving threat on the field. He caught 8 of his 10 targets for 115 yards, including a 37-yard grab that set up Jacksonville’s first touchdown. Brenton Strange added 3 catches for 54 yards, and Jakobi Meyers chipped in 6 receptions for 39 yards.

For Indianapolis, Tyler Warren led the way with 5 catches for 43 yards, while Josh Downs added 2 receptions for 34 yards. Mo Alie-Cox caught 3 passes for 20 yards, including his touchdown grab, and Will Mallory added a 16-yard catch. Wide receiver Alec Pierce was targeted 5 times but was held without a catch, a quiet day for a player who had already topped 1,000 yards on the season.

Defense: Turnovers Swing Both Ways

Each defense forced two turnovers, and both games of takeaways mattered.

Jacksonville linebacker Germaine Pratt intercepted Rivers late in the second quarter to end an Indianapolis scoring threat, and safety Antonio Johnson added a second interception in the fourth quarter. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker each recorded a sack for the Jaguars, and cornerback Jarrian Jones forced a fumble that Indianapolis recovered.

For the Colts, safety Camryn Bynum and linebacker Germaine Pratt-style pressure wasn’t quite enough to offset Jacksonville’s ground game, though Indianapolis did force a Lawrence fumble in the first quarter that its defense recovered. Laiatu Latu and Adetomiwa Adebawore each notched a sack for Indianapolis, and cornerback Jaylon Jones intercepted Leonard’s final desperation throw, though that turnover came too late to matter.

Kicking Was the Deciding Factor

Cam Little was perfect and decisive. He made all 3 of his field goal attempts, from 34, 42, and 53 yards out, with the final two coming in the fourth quarter to first tie and then win the game. His 11 points made up nearly half of Jacksonville’s scoring output.

Blake Grupe also had a clean day for Indianapolis, going 1-for-1 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points for 5 points. But Little simply had more opportunities and made the most of them, including a 53-yard game-sealing kick with just 24 seconds left.

Special Teams Made a Difference Too

Jacksonville’s return game set up scoring chances more than once. Ashton Dulin returned two kickoffs for a combined 108 yards, including a 53-yard return that helped set up Indianapolis’s first touchdown drive and a 55-yard return that helped the Colts answer with their own score later in the game. Those long returns cut both ways, giving both offenses shorter fields to work with at key moments.

Team Stats That Explain the Final Margin

Jacksonville nearly doubled Indianapolis in total yardage and controlled the ball for almost five more minutes. The 3rd down numbers tell a similar story. The Jaguars converted half their third-down chances, while the Colts moved the chains on barely more than a third of theirs. Indianapolis stayed competitive largely because of a strong start and a few explosive plays, not because it was able to sustain drives the way Jacksonville did in the second half.

What the Result Meant for Both Teams

This was about as high-stakes as a regular-season game gets for two AFC South rivals. Jacksonville improved to 12-4 and won its seventh straight game, moving one win away from its first division title since 2022 under first-year head coach Liam Coen. The Jaguars also stayed in the mix for the conference’s top playoff seed.

Indianapolis fell to 8-8, and the loss was made worse by news that arrived the day before: Houston’s win over the Chargers had already eliminated the Colts from playoff contention regardless of this outcome. That made Indianapolis just the sixth team since 1970, and the first since the 1995 Oakland Raiders, to miss the postseason after starting a season 8-2. It capped a brutal finish in which the Colts lost their final three home games of the year, including a game played in Berlin, and dropped six straight to close the season.

Three Things the Box Score Reveals

1. Field position swung the entire game. Jacksonville’s two long kickoff returns from Ashton Dulin, plus Parker Washington’s 37-yard catch that set up a score, meant both teams were regularly starting drives in scoring range. Neither offense had to work especially hard for its points.
2. Jacksonville won without a passing touchdown. Lawrence threw for the most yards on the field but zero passing scores, relying instead on his legs and Cam Little’s leg to supply all 23 points. That’s an unusual formula for a team that also had a wide receiver top 100 receiving yards in the same game.
3. A single interception decided who had the last real chance. Rivers’ fourth-quarter pick set up Little’s go-ahead field goal, turning what had been a tie game into a Jacksonville lead the Colts never got to answer.

Full Statistical Summary

FAQ

What was the final score of the Colts vs Jaguars game? Jacksonville won 23-17 on December 28, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Who had the best individual performance in the game? Parker Washington’s 115 receiving yards on 8 catches led all players, while Trevor Lawrence’s two rushing touchdowns were the biggest scoring plays for Jacksonville.

Why didn’t Trevor Lawrence throw a touchdown despite 263 passing yards? Jacksonville’s offense moved the ball well through the air but finished drives with either a Lawrence rushing score or a Cam Little field goal instead of a passing touchdown.

How did the loss affect the Colts’ playoff chances? Indianapolis was already eliminated from playoff contention before kickoff after Houston beat the Chargers the day before, making this loss part of a six-game losing streak that closed out the season.

Who led each team in tackles and turnovers forced? Jacksonville’s Germaine Pratt and Antonio Johnson each had an interception, while Indianapolis got a fumble recovery and interceptions from Laiatu Latu, Adetomiwa Adebawore, and Jaylon Jones.

How many field goals did Cam Little make, and how important were they? Little made all three of his attempts, from 34, 42, and 53 yards, with the final two in the fourth quarter providing the tying and go-ahead points in a game Jacksonville won by six.