The Jaguars added a starting offensive lineman to their injury report on Sunday morning.
Right tackle Anton Harrison is now listed as questionable to play against the Colts. Harrison is dealing with an illness.
Harrison has started all 13 games he has played this season and he’s started all 46 games he’s played since the Jaguars made him a first-round pick in 2023.
The Jaguars ruled out right guard Patrick Mekari on Friday’s injury report and center Robert Hainsey is listed as questionable to play with a groin injury, so they may have to do a lot of shuffling up front ahead of Sunday’s kickoff. Walker Little, Chuma Edoga, Wyatt Milum, and Jonah Monheim are bench options on the offensive line.
The Texans’ 20-16 win over the Chargers eliminated the Colts from playoff contention and made them the rare team to open a season 7-1 before failing to qualify for the postseason.
Only five other teams have suffered similar slides since the AFL-NFL merger and none of those teams have done it since the NFL moved to a 17-game season.
The Colts were able to get to 8-2, but they have lost their last five games heading into Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. That collapse means they have now gone five straight seasons without a playoff berth.
Their last trip to the postseason came after the 2020 season. That was Philip Rivers’ last full season in the NFL and the Colts coaxed the quarterback out of retirement a couple of weeks ago after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles. Rivers has played better than most people would have predicted, but the results haven’t changed and the Colts will be left to ponder what might have been.
They’ll also be left without their next two first-round picks to help shore up the roster. They sent both those selections to the Jets in a trade for cornerback Sauce Gardner and the first of those picks will be coming a lot earlier in the 2026 first round than originally anticipated as a result of the late season swoon in Indianapolis.
“Smaller market” or not, the Jaguars are hot right now.
They’ve won six straight games. It’s the second longest winning streak in team history. In 1999, the Jaguars won 11 in a row en route to a 14-2 season and the top seed in the AFC.
This time around, the Jaguars are averaging 34.2 points per game during the streak. It’s happening in large part because quarterback Trevor Lawrence is playing the best football of his career.
During the winning streak, Lawrence has 19 total touchdowns and five turnovers. Since a four-turnover performance in the victory over the Cardinals, Lawrence has gone four games in a row with none.
They’ll play the Colts in Indianapolis on Sunday, before finishing the season with a visit from the Titans.
The Colts are set to have cornerback Sauce Gardner back in their lineup on Sunday.
Head coach Shane Steichen said on Friday that the plan is for Gardner to play against the Jaguars. Gardner has missed the last three games with a calf injury.
Gardner has only appeared in three games for Indianapolis since being acquired from the Jets during the season. The Colts lost all three games he missed, which helped improve the first of the two first-round picks they sent to the Jets in the deal.
Steichen said that left tackle Bernhard Raimann (elbow) is also expected to play, but defensive tackle DeForest Buckner will not play. He’s going back on injured reserve after aggravating a neck injury and he is set to have surgery.
Center Tanor Bortolini (concussion), wide receiver Anthony Gould (foot), tight end Drew Ogletree (neck), and defensive end JT Tuimoloau (oblique) will also miss this weekend’s game.
The Colts did not hold a practice on Thursday, but they say that cornerback Sauce Gardner would have returned to the field if they did.
Gardner has missed the last three games with a calf injury and he did not practice on Wednesday, but he is listed as a limited participant on their Christmas injury report.
Friday will bring a more concrete look at where Gardner stands in his recovery from the injury. They will issue injury designations for their game against the Jaguars after their final workout of the week.
The result of Saturday’s Texans game could also impact their decision about playing Gardner. If the Texans beat the Chargers, the Colts will be eliminated from playoff contention before they take the field on Sunday.
