Overview
- The team was eliminated from postseason contention before Week 17 kickoff after Houston beat the Chargers, then fell to Jacksonville to close at 8-8.
- Daniel Jones played through a broken fibula before tearing his Achilles in Week 14, and expected backup Anthony Richardson has been on injured reserve since a pregame eye injury before Week 6.
- Philip Rivers and rookie Riley Leonard filled in late, with Leonard’s last-play heave falling incomplete in a six-point loss to the Jaguars.
- Indianapolis went 3-6 in one-score games and repeatedly failed to close, a pattern Jonathan Taylor highlighted in saying good teams do not drop five or six straight.
- The collapse is rare historically, with the 2025 Colts joining the 1995 Raiders and 1993 Dolphins as 8-2 starters that missed the playoffs, despite four wins by 21+ points and strong early-season metrics.