Indianapolis, IN
Jaguars defense spotted the Colts 10 points, then shut down Old Man Rivers
Jarrian Jones, Antonio Johnson pulled down interceptions, Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen logged crucial late-game sacks
Seven facts about the Jacksonville Jaguars’ postseason history
The Jaguars are about to embark on their ninth postseason in franchise history. Here are some facts about their previous eight postseasons.
The Jacksonville Jaguars defense rewrote a few narratives on Dec. 28 in their 23-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The most important flip of the script happened in-game: After yielding 10 points and 112 yards on the Colts’ first two possessions, the Jaguars gave up only one more score (aided by a 55-yard kickoff return by Ashton Dulin in the third quarter) and 92 total yards the rest of the game, forcing four punts, two turnovers and a turnover on downs.
After gaining 48 yards on 11 carries on the Colts’ first two possessions, running back Jonathan Taylor had only 32 yards on 10 carries the rest of the game for 70 yards on 21 carries, the first time he’s failed to gain 100 or more yards against the Jaguars at home.
Phillip Rivers, the 44-year-old grandfather who returned to play this year after retiring in 2021, completed 7 of 11 passes for 52 yards on his first two turns with the ball, then went 10 of 19 for 95 yards.
Jarrian Jones and Antonio Johnson pulled down interceptions, with Jones’ second pick in two weeks leading to Cam Little’s tie-breaking field goal with 6:58 left. Johnson’s pick came in the end zone on a desperation heave by Riley Leonard, brought into the game for the final play from the Jaguars’48 because there are limits to a 44-year-old arm.
Jaguars finally got to Phillip Rivers
Because the Colts’ game plan was obvious ― get the ball out of Rivers’ hand as quickly as possible to keep him from being a sitting duck for the Jaguars pass rush ― it took some time for the Jaguars to get to him.
It finally happened in the second half. Travon Walker twisted out of a double team by two tight ends lined up on the same side, Tyler Warren and Mo Alie-Cox, and got to Rivers for a 6-yard loss in the third quarter on the final play of the third quarter, which led to a punt. Walker now has 3.5 sacks for the season.
Walker also figured in the second sack. Battling through another double-team against right guard Matt Goncalves and right tackle Jalen Travis, Walker forced Rivers to his left. Rivers ran into his own left tackle, Bernhard Raimann, who was in the process of being thrown backwards by Josh Hines-Allen.
Raimann knocked Rivers down, and Hines-Allen got credited for his team-high eighth sack of the season.
Walker had another tackle for a loss against Taylor, with the Jaguars getting four in the game. The secondary (without Jourdan Lewis for the rest of the season), was led by cornerback Montaric Brown with five tackles and two pass deflections. Six other Jaguar players had at least one pass defensed.
Safety Eric Murray had four tackles and deflected the ball that Jones intercepted.
Jaguars shackled Colts Big Three
The other narratives the Jaguars changed were long-term frustrations with three Colts players in particular, Rivers, Taylor and wide receiver Alec Pierce.
Rivers entered the game 8-2 versus the Jaguars as a starter, but two of the three losses have come when he was in a Colts’ uniform.
Taylor has been a monster against the Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. In three previous starts at home, he ran for 546 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. His lowest production against the Jaguars was 116 yards in a 2021 game.
Pierce had 17 receptions for 350 yards and four touchdowns (20.6 per catch) in eight career games against the Jaguars and had 10 for 271 yards and two scores in his last three games against the Jags. But Pierce was blanked this time: no receptions on five targets.
The Jaguars also played stout on third down after the first two possessions, when the Colts converted two third downs and scored on Taylor’s third-and-goal run from the 2.
From then on, the Colts converted only two of 11 on third down and failed on a fourth-down attempt.
TODAY
Early clouds give way to gradual clearing, and the afternoon turns much nicer than the damp start might suggest. Highs reach the mid 70s, with a west-southwest breeze around 10 to 15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph. Once we get past the morning gray, this looks like a very usable day for outdoor plans, just a bit breezy at times.
TONIGHT
Clouds increase again overnight, and scattered showers with a few thunderstorms may arrive late, mainly after 3 a.m. Lows settle in the mid 50s, with a light breeze becoming northerly late. Most of the evening stays quiet, but by early Sunday morning a few neighborhoods could hear some rain on the roof.
MOTHER’S DAY
Cooler than Saturday, with a mix of clouds and some breaks of sun along with the chance for an isolated shower. Highs top out in the mid 60s, and a north breeze around 5 to 10 mph adds a slightly cooler feel. It is not a washout, but it is also not as nice as Saturday afternoon, especially south of Indianapolis where a stray shower may hang on longer.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Partly cloudy and cooler, with lows in the mid 40s and a north northeast breeze around 5 to 10 mph. The air dries out nicely, and this looks like a quiet, comfortable night across central Indiana.
MONDAY
Bright and seasonably cool with sunshine taking over. Highs reach the mid 60s, with a light north wind around 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. This looks like one of the cleaner forecast days of the stretch, great for errands, practices, or getting outside without weather trouble.
MONDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear and chilly again, with lows in the low to mid 40s and light wind fading late. Quiet weather continues, and there are no meaningful travel concerns overnight.
TUESDAY
Another decent start, then clouds begin to increase later with a chance for showers and thunderstorms after mid afternoon. Highs reach the mid 60s, with a light south southwest breeze around 5 to 10 mph. Most of the day still looks usable, but the late afternoon and evening carry the next better rain signal.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Showers and thunderstorms become more likely for part of the night before activity starts to ease later on. Lows hold in the low to mid 50s, with a south-southwest wind around 10 to 15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph. It does not look like a high-end severe setup right now, but it is enough of a signal to keep an eye on late evening plans.
WEDNESDAY
A leftover shower is possible early, then the trend turns drier with more sun returning through the day. Highs recover into the upper 60s, and a northwest breeze around 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph will make it feel a little brisker at times. The day improves as it goes, and by afternoon it should look much better than the early morning may suggest.
7 DAY FORECAST
After a milder Saturday and a small late Saturday night into Sunday shower window, the broader pattern settles down for Sunday night and Monday with quieter, cooler weather in place. The next more meaningful chance for rain arrives Tuesday into Tuesday night as another system approaches, then drier conditions return Wednesday as that system pulls away. Temperatures run in the 70s Saturday, slip back into the 60s Sunday through Tuesday, then edge a little milder again by midweek. Confidence is best in the quiet Sunday night through Monday stretch, while the exact timing of Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night rain could still wobble a bit.
Editor’s note: This interview is part of our ‘Meet the Candidates’ show. Watch past episodes here.
After working in education for about 15 years, Andrea Hunley won her first bid for political office four years ago in an Indiana Senate district covering the core of Indianapolis.
On May 8, Hunley, 42, officially launched her campaign for an office that she says feels closer to home: Indianapolis mayor.
About a year ahead of the May 2027 mayoral primary, Hunley sat down with IndyStar on May 5 to discuss what she hopes to accomplish as mayor, why her candidacy differs from her challengers, and how she thinks about hot-button issues like education, public safety and data centers.
At this point, Hunley will face longtime Indianapolis City-County Councilor Vop Osili and Department of Public Works administrator David Bride. Both candidates will also be invited for sit-down interviews with IndyStar in the coming weeks.
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
The Indianapolis Colts announced the addition of 12 undrafted free agents for the rookie minicamp beginning Friday:
>> Cam Ball, DT, Arkansas: Appeared in 50 games with 31 starts, making 138 tackles, 12.5 for loss with 3 sacks at 6-4, 310 pounds. Ball was a team captain last season, named to the 2025 AFCA Good Works Team and on the 2024 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll.
>> Austin Brown, S, Wisconsin: Received a $272,000 guarantee, a source told IndyStar. The 6-0, 199-pounder played in 50 games with 24 starts), totaling 142 tackles with eight passes defensed. Brown was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten choice (2023-25) and named CSC Academic All-District in 2025.
>> Tahj Chambers, LB, Mississippi: Played in 15 games in one season at Mississippi with 45 tackles and three passes defensed. The 6-2, 231-pounder also played in 43 games at Missouri State with 196 tackles, 17 for loss, 3.0 sacks and eight passes defensed. Chambers made the MVFC honor roll in 2022 and 2024 and was selected to the Missouri State AD’s Honor Roll in Fall 2022 and Fall 2024.
>> Sahmir Hagans, WR, Duke: The 5-11, 188-pounded played in 57 games at Duke with 152 catches for 1,586 yards and 14 touchdowns. Hagans also returned 24 kicks for a 31.5-yard average and two touchdowns and five punts for a 30.6-yard average with a score. He was a second team All-ACC selection as a return specialist in 2025 and named to the 2022 ACC All-Academic Team.
>> E.J. Horton, WR, Purdue: Played in 41 games between Purdue, Florida Atlantic, West Virginia and Marshall in a college career that began in 2020. He made 53 catches for 735 yards and four touchdowns.
>>Mitchell Melton, DE, Virginia: Played at Virginia and Ohio State as a 6-3, 253-pound defensive end with 60 tackles, 16.5 for loss, 8 sacks, 4 passes defensed and 3 forced fumbles. Last season he started 14 games at Virginia and was honor mention All-ACC.
>>Lincoln Pare, RB, Texas State: At 5-8, 190 pounds, Pare played in 38 games with 2,454 yards and 25 touchdowns on 477 carries, plus 78 receptions for 644 yards and 3 scores. Prior to earning second team All-Sun Belt last season, Pare played at Arkansas State. His last name is pronounced Pair-ee.
>>Nolan Rucci, OL, Penn State: At 6-8, 314 pounds, Rucci was a tackle at Penn State and Wisconsin, making 18 starts. He was honor mention All-Big Ten.
>> Raylen Sharpe, WR, Arkansas: At 5-9, 173 pounds, Sharpe was a receiver and ball carrier at Arkansas, Fresno State, Missouri State and Houston with 181 catches for 2,413 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus 12 carries for 122 yards and he threw a touchdown pass. He was honor mention All-Mountain West in 2024 and first team All-MVFC in 2023 while also running track in 2021 at Houston.
>>Geno VanDeMark, C, Alabama: Earned starts at right guard, left guard and center at 6-4, 314 pounds. Also played 18 games, with eight starts at Michigan State.
>>Jordon Vaughn, RB, Abilene Christian: He’s 6-3, 228 pounds and rushed for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns on 179 caries in 30 games. Also played at Wyoming for two seasons.
>>West Weeks, LB, LSU: The 6-2, 230-pound linebacker appeared in 54 games between LSU and Virginia with 164 tackles, 12.5 for loss and 5 sacks.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
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