Where Colts Sit in AFC Standings After Jaguars Catastrophe

Indy's on track to miss out on the playoffs for the fifth straight season. It doesn't help that starting quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles tear, but that shouldn't distract anyone from how poorly the Colts have been playing in all three phases over the past month.

Even with Jones under center, it looked like Indy's offense wasn't the same as it had been in the first 10 weeks. Jones was partially immobilized due to a fractured fibula, and his decision-making slowly worsened. The offensive line looked strong, but has been porous over the past month.

Defensively, the pass rush has been nonexistent, and the linebackers can't cover a thing. The corners haven't been much better either.

Where the Colts Stand in the AFC South

After the Jaguars won, they took sole possession of the AFC South title. Although the Texans are also 8-5, they have the head-to-head tiebreaker and a better divisional record than the Colts, so Houston is in second place.

All of a sudden, the Colts are in third place. They've lost all three games since their Week 11 bye, plummeting in the AFC South standings and losing all the momentum they built in the first half of the season.

With Jones out for the season, the Colts' hopes rest in the hands of rookie quarterback Riley Leonard since the usual backup, Anthony Richardson Sr., is on injured reserve.

Richardson has been on IR for nearly two months now after suffering an orbital fracture during pre-game warmups in Week 6. The former fourth-overall pick competed with Jones before the season, but he lost his starting job, and he's only touched the field in the fourth quarter of blowout wins.

Leonard played okay in Jones' absence against Jacksonville, completing 18 of 29 pass attempts for 145 yards and an interception. He rushed in his first career touchdown in garbage time to give the Colts 19 points on the day.

Now that teams can game plan for Leonard, the offense may not be as effective. The Colts must rely on Jonathan Taylor and the ground game, but that can only get them so far against stacked boxes and some of the best run defenses in football.

Their first test sans Daniel Jones will be the Seattle Seahawks. A loss could mean the end of the road, but a win would revive the Colts' playoff hopes and give them a fighting chance.