JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser, senior correspondent Brian Sexton and team reporter/producer Kainani Stevens offer quick thoughts on the Jaguars as they prepare to play the Indianapolis Colts at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville in a 2025 Week 14 game Sunday.
John Oehser, Jaguars Senior Writer…
Big. Really big. This borders on overstating the obvious, but Sunday’s game ranks among the biggest regular-season games for the Jaguars in a long while – and in fact is in the conversation for one of the most important regular-season home games in franchise history. The top two regular-season home games in this vein unquestionably are a 19-17 1996 victory over the Atlanta Falcons and a 20-16 2022 victory over the Tennessee Titans – with those two victories in their respective season finales getting the Jaguars into the postseason. A loss to the Titans in Nashville in the 2023 regular-season finale that knocked the Jaguars from the postseason also ranks among the biggest. But consider: Sunday’s game against the Colts is the first December home game in franchise history between two teams tied for the division lead with both teams above .500. The only other times a Jaguars team four games over .500 played another division team four games above .500 in December or January in the regular season: a 20-16 December 2005 loss by the 9-3 Jaguars to the 12-0 Colts in Jacksonville, a 28-25 December 2007 loss by the 8-3 Jaguars to the 9-2 Colts in Indianapolis and a 41-14 December 1999 loss to the Titans in Nashville. Sunday’s game isn’t must-win. And the feeling here is the Jaguars are going to play a lot of big late-season games in the coming seasons. But for success-starved Jaguars fans, Sunday is special. We’ve talked a lot in recent seasons about the Jaguars playing meaningful late-season games. December games don’t mean much more than this.
Not to be overlooked. The Jaguars’ improving defense has been very good against the run all season – and that unit will get perhaps its toughest test of the season on Sunday against Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, perhaps the NFL’s best player at the position this season. There are multiple reasons for the Jaguars’ defense’s dramatic improvement from last season, with one reason that shouldn’t be overlooked defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton. If one reason stands out why the Jaguars are ranked a solid No. 1 in the NFL against the run, it’s Hamilton – who is playing as well on the interior as he has at any time since a back issue hampered him throughout the 2023 season. Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen has been dominant rushing the passer in the last three games and all season and defensive tackle Arik Armstead consistently has given the defense needed interior disruption on passing downs. But if there is a reason that the Jaguars’ defense has been steady enough throughout the season to keep the team in nearly every game – and to comfortably win in others – it’s the play of the big man in the middle of the defense who plays a position that’s often overlooked.