INDIANAPOLIS — The stakes for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars weren’t clear until the sun had set on Saturday night.

If the Texans won, the Colts have been eliminated from the playoffs. If the Chargers win, the Colts had a 1-2% chance to make the postseason.

Philip Rivers was always going to start. That timetable didn’t allow for anything else.

Either way, the Colts (8-7) will be trying to stop their five-game slide after the bye week by beating Jacksonville (11-4), a team that has its sights set on the AFC South title. The first time these teams played, Daniel Jones’ torn Achilles tendon cast an even darker pall over the game than the rain clouds overhead. With Rivers at the helm, the matchup is a little different. Here is what to watch:

1. Jacksonville’s offense is rolling. The Jaguars put up 36 points against Indianapolis in early December, and it started a three-game streak where Jacksonville is averaging 39.3 points per game in wins over the Colts, Jets and Broncos. The early inconsistencies of Trevor Lawrence haven’t been anywhere to be found in the streak. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in those three games, and now he gets to face a Colts defense that couldn’t force a punt against San Francisco.

2. Indianapolis has DeForest Buckner back, but there’s little reason to believe the pass rush will be able to produce any more than the occasional Buckner rush unless Jacksonville decides to block Laiatu Latu with a running back or tight end. Latu got the Colts’ only sack against the 49ers on a play where San Francisco tried to block the defensive end with tight end Luke Farrell, but it was only the fourth Indianapolis sack in the last four games, a big reason the Colts haven’t been able to overcome the loss of Jones.

3. Parker Washington’s likely the most dangerous Jacksonville receiver, even on a roster that includes Jakobi Meyers. Washington followed up a three-catch, 53-yard performance in a laugher over the Jets with six catches for 145 yards last week, and his ability to stretch the field — he’s averaging 14.3 yards per catch — makes him a tough cover for any Colt unless Sauce Gardner returns from a calf injury.

4. Former starting cornerback Jaylon Jones has fallen far down the depth chart, and it seems unlikely he’ll get restored to a spot outside after struggling in the first Indianapolis loss to Jacksonville three weeks ago. Jones has played just eight snaps in the last two weeks, playing behind Mekhi Blackmon, Johnathan Edwards and even Cameron Mitchell against San Francisco.

5. With his next rushing yard, Trevor Etienne goes over the 1,000-yard mark, but it would be surprising if Jacksonville leans on the run too much. Based on the way the Colts are rushing the passer — or struggling to rush the passer — and the injuries at cornerback, expect Liam Coen to put the ball in the hands of Lawrence early and often.

6. Rivers has been better than anybody had any right to expect a 44-year-old to play. The passes aren’t always pretty, and they never were with his unique throwing motion, but he’s completing 66.1% of his throws and proved last week that he can get the ball down the field in the intermediate game. Indianapolis opened the first meeting between these two teams by throwing the ball, and it was working before Jones suffered the torn Achilles. Facing off against a Jacksonville defense that ranks first in the NFL against the run and 24th against the pass, this might end up being Rivers’ last chance to throw it around the lot before heading back to Fairhope to resume his pursuit of an Alabama state championship at St. Michael Catholic.

7. Alec Pierce has 871 yards, giving him an outside shot at beating the 1,000-yard mark in the final two games, and he’s fully established himself as the best Colts receiver at this point. Pierce’s ferocity when the ball is in the air has been deployed to throws all over the field, and he should be a priority for Indianapolis to re-sign this offseason. A big-bodied receiver with a knack for going up and getting the ball, Pierce’s game is actually reminiscent of a lot of receivers Rivers had in San Diego.

8. The offensive line injuries likely affect Jonathan Taylor more than Rivers. Taylor hasn’t broken the 100-yard mark since Berlin, and it looked like he was pressing on Monday night, missing holes that he’d never pass earlier in the season. Rivers gets the ball out of his hands so quickly that it minimizes an opponent’s pass rush; he’s taken three sacks in two starts despite playing with a patchwork offensive line in front of him. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann could be back against Jacksonville, a stabilizing presence who would allow Matt Goncalves to move back to right guard and slide rookie Jalen Travis back to right tackle, positions a lot more familiar than the ones they played last week against San Francisco.

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.