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.
Jaguars Clips
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.
The Jaguars are surging ahead of the playoffs, but their defense just got some bad news.
Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis will have season-ending foot surgery, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The Jaguars announced that Lewis is going on injured reserve and they signed cornerback Keith Taylor to replace him on the roster.
Lewis has played in 12 games for the Jaguars with seven starts this season, and when he’s healthy he plays about 80 percent of their defensive snaps. He’s a significant loss in Jacksonville’s secondary.
Originally a 2017 third-round pick of the Cowboys, Lewis played eight seasons in Dallas before signing a three-year, $30 million contract with Jacksonville this year.
Sauce remained on the side at Colts practice on Wednesday.
The Colts listed cornerback Sauce Gardner as out of practice due to the calf injury that has kept him from playing in the last three games. The Colts noted that the team only held a walkthrough, so all participation levels are an estimation.
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (neck) was also listed as out of practice. Buckner returned from injured reserve to play against the 49ers in Week 16.
The Colts will be eliminated from playoff contention if they lose to the Jaguars on Sunday.
Center Tanor Bortolini (concussion), running back Tyler Goodson (ankle), wide receiver Anthony Gould (foot), tight end Drew Ogletree (neck), guard Dalton Tucker (shoulder), and defensive end JT Tuimoloau (oblique) were the other Colts out of practice. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann (elbow) and quarterback Anthony Richardson (eye) were the only players listed as limited participants.
Wide receiver Ashton Dulin (hamstring), cornerback Jaylon Jones (knee), and safety Daniel Scott (knee) were listed as full participants.
Jaguars punter Logan Cooke grabbed some attention for his on-field trash talk earlier this season, but he’s in the headlines for a more pleasant reason on Wednesday.
Cooke has been named the AFC’s special teams player of the week in recognition of his performance in last Sunday’s 34-20 road win over the Broncos.
Cooke was called on to punt six times during the Jacksonville win and he dropped four of those punts inside the 20-yard line. Two of those punts landed inside the 10-yard line, including one that went out of bounds at the 2-yard line late in the fourth quarter to all but end any hopes of a Denver comeback.
Cooke and the Jaguars will be in the playoffs and they can wrap up the AFC South title with a win and a Texans loss this weekend.
The AFC and NFC rosters for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games were announced on Tuesday morning.
Votes from fans, coaches and players were used to select the teams. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce led the fan vote and was named to his 11th Pro Bowl. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, and Bears safety Kevin Byard were the other leaders in that vote, but Williams is not on the initial NFC roster.
Chargers tackle Joe Alt did make the AFC roster despite playing in only six games before being shut down with an ankle injury.
Three teams — the Jets, Saints and Vikings — have no Pro Bowlers. The Broncos, 49ers, Ravens, and Seahawks each had six players selected.
The Pro Bowl Games will be held in San Francisco on February
The full rosters appear below with starters indicated by an asterisk.
AFC
Quarterback: Josh Allen*, Buffalo Bills; Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers; Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Running back: De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins; James Cook, Buffalo Bills; Jonathan Taylor*, Indianapolis Colts
Fullback: Patrick Ricard*, Baltimore Ravens
Wide receiver: Ja’Marr Chase*, Cincinnati Bengals; Nico Collins*, Houston Texans; Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens; Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Tight end: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders*; Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Offensive tackle: Joe Alt*, Los Angeles Chargers; Garett Bolles*, Denver Broncos; Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills
Offensive guard: Quinn Meinerz*, Denver Broncos; Quenton Nelson*, Indianapolis Colts; Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Center: Creed Humphrey*, Kansas City Chiefs; Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens
Defensive end: Will Anderson Jr.*, Houston Texans; Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders; Myles Garrett*, Cleveland Browns
Interior linemen: Zach Allen, Denver Broncos; Chris Jones*, Kansas City Chiefs; Jeffrey Simmons*, Tennessee Titans
Outside linebacker: Nik Bonitto*, Denver Broncos; Tuli Tuipulotu, Los Angeles Chargers; T.J. Watt*, Pittsburgh Steelers
Inside/middle linebacker: Azeez Al-Shaair, Houston Texans; Roquan Smith*, Baltimore Ravens
Cornerback: Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots; Derek Stingley Jr.*, Houston Texans; Pat Surtain II*, Denver Broncos; Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
Free safety: Jalen Ramsey*, Pittsburgh Steelers
Strong safety: Kyle Hamilton*, Baltimore Ravens; Derwin James Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
Long-snapper: Ross Matiscik*, Jacksonville Jaguars
Punter: Jordan Stout*, Baltimore Ravens
Place-kicker: Cameron Dicker*, Los Angeles Chargers
Return specialist: Chimere Dike*, Tennessee Titans
Special-teamer: Ben Skowronek*, Pittsburgh
NFC
Quarterback: Matthew Stafford*, Los Angeles Rams; Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks; Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Running back: Jahmyr Gibbs*, Detroit Lions; Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers; Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk*, San Francisco 49ers
Wide receiver: Puka Nacua*, Los Angeles Rams; Jaxon Smith-Njigba*, Seattle Seahawks; George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Tight end: Trey McBride*, Arizona Cardinals; George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Offensive tackle: Penei Sewell*, Detroit Lions; Tristan Wirfs* Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers
Offensive guard: Tyler Smith*, Dallas Cowboys; Joe Thuney*, Chicago Bears; Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons
Center: Drew Dalman*, Chicago Bears; Cam Jurgens, Philadelphia Eagles
Defensive end: Aidan Hutchinson*, Detroit Lions; Micah Parsons*, Green Bay Packers; DeMarcus Lawrence, Seattle Seahawks
Interior linemen: Jalen Carter*, Philadelphia Eagles; Leonard Williams*, Seattle Seahawks, Quinnen Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Outside linebacker: Brian Burns*, New York Giants, Jared Verse*, Los Angeles Rams; Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams
Inside/middle linebacker: Jack Campbell*, Detroit Lions; Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles
Cornerback: Jaycee Horn*, Carolina Panthers; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
Free safety: Kevin Byard III*, Chicago Bears; Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Strong safety: Budda Baker*, Arizona Cardinals
Long-snapper: Jon Weeks*, San Francisco 49ers
Punter: Tress Way*, Washington Commanders
Placekicker: Brandon Aubrey*, Dallas Cowboys
Return specialist: Rashid Shaheed*, Seattle Seahawks
Special-teamer: Luke Gifford*, San Francisco 49ers
The Colts’ Monday night loss to the 49ers is the Bills’ gain. And the Jaguars’. And the Chargers’.
All three teams have officially clinched playoff berths, as a result of the 49ers beating Indianapolis, 48-27.
The Broncos and Patriots also have clinched, nailing down five of the seven AFC berths. The remaining spots will go to the AFC North champions (Steelers or Ravens) or the third wild-card position (Colts or Texans).
In the NFC, five teams also have clinched: Seahawks, Eagles, Rams, Bears, and 49ers. The final spots will go to the NFC South champion (Buccaneers or Panthers) and the final wild-card team (Packers or Lions).
Of the 10 that have qualified, five were’nt playoff teams in 2024. The field of new playoff teams will be as high as seven, if the Colts and Panthers make it. Six, if only one of them does.
The Jaguars sank their teeth into a stray comment last week from Broncos coach Sean Payton regarding Jacksonville being a “smaller market.” And it worked.
Jaguars coach Liam Coen mentioned it in his address to the locker room. He repeated it in his post-game press conference. And he’ll likely keep using it to inspire his players for as long as their inevitable postseason run lasts.
On Monday, Payton was asked about the catch phrase he inadvertently gift wrapped for the Duval upstarts.
“It was very complimentary and those guys are playing outstanding football,” Payton told reporters. “That topic came up strictly because, hey, not enough of the country has seen how good these guys are playing. . . . The point is though, listen, that was a good job by Liam. He was looking for a rallying cry. Obviously, if you were listening to the press conference, the intention was strictly, ‘Hey, quietly these guys are sitting here right near the top of the AFC, they’re ready to win their division.’ I spent 16 years at a small market. It was just a way for a coach to take it and use it to his advantage.”
He’s right. And Coen was smart to seize on the remark in an effort to give his team a late-season spark.
Coaches look for anything they can use. It’s part of the job. Finding any actual, perceived, embellished (if necessary), or fabricated (if all else fails) disrespect to fuel the fire.
In this case, here’s what Payton said about the Jaguars last week: “As you look at them and you watch the tape, it’s a smaller market but you see a real good team.”
The fact that the NFL left one of the most compelling games of Week 16 in a 4:05 p.m. ET regional window highlights the reality that the league and the networks still aren’t expecting big numbers for Jaguars games. The failure to nudge the contest to 4:25 p.m. ET (where Steelers-Lions headlined the window) or 8:20 p.m. ET (where Patriots-Ravens supplanted Bengals-Dolphins) proves it.
So don’t be mad at Sean Payton. Be mad at the NFL. Heck, be mad at anyone and everyone who acknowledges the undeniable, objective fact that Jacksonville has one of the 32 NFL franchises despite being the country’s 41st biggest market, just ahead of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
If it works, use it.
Sunday’s game between the Jaguars and Broncos wasn’t treated like a marquee attraction on the broadcast schedule, but anyone who saw it got a chance to see the Jaguars make their case as one of the top teams in the AFC.
The Jaguars ended the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak with an emphatic 34-20 road win that extended their own winning streak to six games. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence continued a hot streak that’s seen him account for 14 touchdowns and no turnovers over the last four games and the team has looked like the kind of complete package that could make noise in the postseason for the first time in many years.
It’s the sort of victory that can bring the attention and respect that the Jaguars felt was missing a couple of weeks ago, but defensive end Travon Walker said he’d rather people keep the same opinion about the team that they’ve held all season.
“They just gonna hop on the bandwagon right now,” Walker said on the team’s postgame show. “Everybody in this locker room on the Jaguars team, even upstairs, we know everybody’s probably going to try to hop on this bandwagon now, but we don’t want anybody. They can stay where they’re at. It’s us. It’s all about the Jags. F—k everybody but us. Excuse my language, dad, grandmama, but f—k everybody but us.”
Whether one calls it jumping on the bandwagon or something else, there’s going to be a shift in how people talk about the Jags in light of Sunday’s win. That narrative will shift again if they stumble in the next couple of weeks and wind up behind the Texans in the AFC South, so ignoring the way those winds are blowing and focusing on the task at hand will continue to be the best course of action in Jacksonville.
Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant suffered a scary injury on Sunday on which he stayed down for several minutes, was taken off the field on a stretcher, and put directly on an ambulance. But the news on Bryant Monday morning is good.
Bryant was released from the hospital within hours, according to multiple reports.
Although Bryant was diagnosed with a concussion, he cleared all other testing and does not have a neck or spinal injury, which was an initial concern given his posture when he was knocked to the ground.
Bryant was hit hard by Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown while leaping to catch a high pass over the middle from Bo Nix on the second-to-last play of the Broncos’ 34-20 loss. Brown led with his shoulder, and while one official initially threw a flag, after a discussion Brown was not penalized for the hit.
