Colts' Late-Season Collapse Should Sell Jaguars on Weakness of AFC South

The AFC South is in disarray entering 2025, as evidenced by another Indianapolis Colts collapse.

Dec 29, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen watches downfield against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars have had a disappointing season for the ages. But when it comes to the AFC South, they aren't alone.

The Tennessee Titans are contending for the No. 1 pick, the Houston Texans are nowhere near the team they were hyped to be and the Indianapolis Colts, well, are going through yet another late-season collapse.

The Colts should know the feeling well by now. Once again, the Colts had a chance to make a playoff run but fell short as the result of a regular-season loss. Last year it was a Week 18 loss to the Houston Texans in a winnable game. In 2021, it was a season-ending loss vs. a lowly Jaguars team in Jacksonville that kept them out of the playoffs.

And this year, the Colts' playoff hopes were once again struck down before the postseason could even begin. This time around, it was the result of a shocking and embarassing loss to the New York Giants, who entered the week with the worst record in football.

The loss to the Giants knocked the Colts out of playoff contention, a stunning display of ineptitude from a team that walked into the week likely expecting a blowout win.

"I’m going to be honest, as the entire team, we (expletive) the bed another year, and it's frustrating," Colts star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said via The IndyStar. “I can see what we have. It's just we're not getting over that hump.”

For the Jaguars, the Colts' latest collapse shows one thing: a path back to the top of the AFC South in 2025 is very possible.

The Texans will still be hanging around, despite their struggles. But the Titans are in rebuilding mode without a winning quarterback or head coach, and the Colts have once again proven that they are not a franchise that is able to push past averageness and become a winning team.

The AFC South is set to be one of the weakest divisions in football once again in 2025, largely because of the Colts' inability to outgrow their late-season losing ways. And for a Jaguars team that wants to get back on top in 2025, the Colts' latest failure is a welcomed sight.

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