The Jacksonville Jaguars have been hot on the Indianapolis Colts' trail for the AFC South lead, and in Week 13, they may finally have taken over for good. There were several divisional games played this weekend, with the Colts playing the Houston Texans and the Jaguars facing the Tennessee Titans... and the shocking results changed everything.
To no one's surprise, the Jaguars emerged victorious over the Titans, but the Colts fell to the Texans. That gives them a tie record, with both teams at 8-4, and two games against each other still scheduled later this season.
This shakes up the AFC South in a huge way. The Texans have won their last four games in a row, all as the Colts continue to collapse. The team that was assumed to be one of the best in the league has quickly turned into one of the worst.
The Jaguars’ road to the AFC South title just got a whole lot smoother
Jacksonville defeated Tennessee in a decisive 25-3 victory, which was very much needed. A loss would have allowed the Texans to catch up, which thankfully, did not happen. Instead, the Colts lost, which catapulted the Jags to No. 1 in the division, and they remain in prime position to finish the season that way.
@texans still have road games with @chiefs and @chargers. Indy still has road games with Jags, Seattle and Houston. Big advantage for #Jaguars.
— Eugene Frenette (@GeneFrenette) November 30, 2025
The Colts, meanwhile, are only set to experience more struggles as the season goes on, judging by their performance today. At the beginning of the season, quarterback Daniel Jones was thought to have a career resurgence; now, he's looking — once again — like a disaster.
Of course, it's not all Danny Dimes' fault. Head coach Shane Steichen is again repeating the same mistakes he made last season, favoring his complicated playbook over his actual players, And with Jones injured, that equals disaster.
That's right: Daniel Jones is having to play through a fractured fibula, which explains even more why he hasn't been able to play as well so far lately. And instead of relying on Jonathan Taylor — only one of the best running backs in the league, no big deal — Shane Steichen has just continued on, business as usual, relying on his injured QB to get things done.
And other injuries are piling up for the Colts, too; they already lost one of their biggest leaders on defense, DeForest Buckner, and now they've lost Sauce Gardner, the star cornerback they just acquired in a trade with the New York Jets.
Suffice it to say, this all adds up to disaster for Indy, and a clear path to the playoffs for Jacksonville. They will still have to face the Colts twice, sure, but Indy is getting increasingly banged up as the season goes on. Jacksonville only has to play the Titans once more this season, and generally speaking, has a much easier late-season schedule than the Colts do.
"We need everybody. We need the city to show up."
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) November 30, 2025
Grab tickets to #INDvsJAX now: https://t.co/qphtwrkekM pic.twitter.com/Y6hDrYDUsg
The biggest thing the Jaguars need to do now, though, is avoid becoming cavalier. Next week will be the first of two battles against the Colts, and even though they are not at their best, it's still a hugely important game.
That means that while the Jaguars have a clear path to the AFC South title, they still need to be at the top of their game. The best-case scenario would be for Jacksonville to keep its win streak going, obviously, but for now, fans can enjoy the moment, knowing their spot in the playoffs is virtually guaranteed.