What started as one of the most promising Colts seasons in recent memory has ended in a disappointing and frustrating fashion.

INDIANAPOLIS — After a promising start to the season, the Indianapolis Colts find themselves once again eliminated from NFL playoff contention. 

After the Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 on Saturday, Dec. 27, the Colts were knocked out of the playoff race for the fifth straight year.

The Colts started the 2025 season with an 8-2 record thanks in part to explosive performances from quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Jonathan Taylor. The team then made a blockbuster move at the trade deadline to add standout cornerback Sauce Gardner, hoping bolster the team’s defensive roster. 

However, things came crashing down in a hurry after a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 23.

Prior to that game, Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was placed on injured reserve just before the Colts flew to Berlin, Germany for a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. 


Then, during the matchup against the Chiefs, Jones fractured his fibula. Days after the game, Jones said he was determined to play through it, telling reporters it wasn’t an injury he was concerned about.

With Jones playing injured, the next bad break for the Colts came from the newly-acquired Sauce Gardner, who injured his calf during the team’s Nov. 30 loss to the Texans. 

The hits didn’t stop there as during the very next game on Dec. 7, Jones tore his Achilles tendon and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.


Rookie quarterback Riley Leonard, who led Notre Dame to a National Championship appearance earlier in the year, stepped in for the injured Jones for the rest of the game as former first-round pick Anthony Richardson, who had been named Jones’ backup earlier in the season, was placed on injured reserve in October after suffering a fractured orbital bone during a pregame workout.

Leonard, however, injured his knee during that Dec. 7 loss in Jacksonville and without a healthy quarterback on their roster, the Colts called 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers out of retirement in an attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive. 


While Rivers played relatively well in his first two games out of retirement, the team continued to struggle, with Rivers losing his first two games as the Colts’ starting quarterback since 2020. 

The team now prepares to play its final home game of the season Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars before finishing the season in Houston against the team responsible for ending their playoff chances.Â